Unwritten
by Katraa
Summary: Riku and Sora, penpals of three years, are finally meeting in their first year of college.  Riku, the ladykiller, and Sora, the wannabe romance novelist.  Everything seemed so much simpler on paper ... [riku x sora] [riku x namine] [sora x kairi]
1. prologue

Welcome to my new fanfic. Yes, a new one. Do I ever cease? Nope. Not really. Writing is all I do. Oh dear. Any how, now that I managed to finish Bereave, I figured I needed another story. So this and By Chance are my main focuses. If you haven't noticed, Ardor is on complete hiatus because the plot irks me and I need to rewrite it completely. So bear with me. This story right here is giving me goosebumps thinking about it because I know it'll be that fun to write and whatnot. This probably will be longer than By Chance, I can tell you that now. This is going to be around the length of Innovation... perhaps. Or longer. Not exactly sure. Just now that I have the plot entirely planned and... this is just the prologue. So make sure you **review_, please._**

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**Unwritten**

Sora cautiously placed his fingers over the keyboard. Fingers itched to feverishly answer the instant message that he had just received. With what? With a vehement yes, of course. The brunet teenager leaned back in his computer chair, his breathing quite rapid. His control was waning. Blue eyes stared worriedly at the illuminated laptop screen. After a moment of heavy deliberation, Sora placed his shaky hands back over the black keys. Hesitantly, the teenager typed, 'yes'.

'I'll call the housing department and tell them you'll be rooming with me,' was what Sora received for an answer. A small smile crept onto the brunet's face almost instantly. How a simple sentence could bring the spiky-haired teen such joy was a mystery.

'Sounds good, I can't wait to meet you!' Sora typed back, the smile never once fading from his lips.

'Me either.'

'See you in two weeks,' Sora wrote and proceeded to lace his hands together under his chin. The brunet stared fondly at his laptop screen for a long while. Blue eyes raked over the body of the two hour long instant message. Their conversations were always so lengthy and informative. Perhaps that was what Sora liked the most. Sora grinned ear to ear.

"See you soon, Riku."

* * *

You see, Sora Kayaki had a troubling problem, as many problems were. For some reason, every time he spoke to Riku his palms began to sweat and his heart skipped a noticeable beat. The brunet became suddenly laconic when speaking via internet to Riku. Usually the jovial boy was loquacious, but not with Riku. Sora constantly double read his messages, thrice sometimes, before sending them, as if he thought they'd be subject to analysis. And Sora hadn't even /met/ Riku yet.

Riku and Sora had been online pen pals since sophomore year. Now the teenagers were going to be freshman in college. What a grand leap! As the years of high school progressed, the pair never went longer than a week without contact. They talked about practically everything. The weather, sports, books, dreams, goals, hopes, etc. However, the one topic neither of them ever touched upon and strayed from was love. Riku never spoke of his girlfriend and Sora never mentioned Kairi. Nor did Sora ever mention his growing interest in males.

Sora figured it happened late junior year. Sora had lost complete interest in all females except his best friend, Kairi. The red-head was so loveable and bubbly that it was hard _not_ to be attracted to the girl. Kairi never dressed scantly, always conservatively. Kairi was always there for him when he needed someone. Kairi was, practically, everything in Sora's life.

Until he met Riku Karada.

Sora had been in Biology, sophomore year, and had been assigned a pen pal from Connecticut. He, being from New Hampshire, considered the state not _that _far away (considering it was still part of New England). Sora's job was to discuss their works in the classroom back and forth for half of the semester. No one expected the pair to keep contact for three years.

Sora had asked Riku what he looked like, and all he got was the basics. Bluish green eyes, silver hair, and tall. Riku refused to send a picture (apparently he had a lack of a digital camera). Sora had supplied Riku with what he received; brown hair, blue eyes, short. Sora left out the part about looking his body lacking anything muscular or interesting. He figured that Riku wouldn't care.

And it so it went. They talked for three straight years. And that was when Riku crafted the devious idea that would shape their futures, or so Riku claimed. The brilliant teen had suggested that the pair attended the same college in New Hampshire. Riku offered to show Sora around the town and area and that he could pull some strings so that they would share a dorm together. Sora still wasn't sure how he managed to convince his parents to ship him off to the college. He had _no_ idea. The place was a good two hours away and they had _agreed_. Destiny. It had to be _destiny_.

At the end of his senior year, Sora had begun to date Kairi Mita. Kairi had promised that she'd do her best to hold up their long distance relationship- after all, the redhead was going to attend college in Massachusetts so the drive to see one another wasn't going to be _that_ bad. Or so she told Sora.

And here Sora was, standing outside room number 33C. Here he was, in New Hampshire, caught up in the moment, about to meet the person he had spoken to tirelessly for three years. The person who had been a faithful friend. The person who always gave him worthwhile advice. Sora quickly tried to imagine what Riku would look like. Then again, what you _think_ a person will look like never matches what they look like in the end.

Sora flexed his tanned hand on the handle to the suitcase. Hesitantly, the brunet reached out with his left hand to plug the key into the keyhole. Taking a deep breath, Sora unlocked the door and pushed his body inside.

And of course, it was empty.

"Hah… I'm here first, of course," Sora said to himself. Nervously, the brunet entered the room and kicked the door close behind him. Sora's eyes were at once greeted with tan walls, two parallel beds (one of the right wall and the other on the left wall), a television nestled in the corner of the room, and a small bathroom that was near the entrance. This wasn't _that_ bad.

Sora smiled softly and made his way over to the right bed. Gingerly, the brunet placed his things upon it. Sora figured that he'd pack after Riku got here. So, the brunet dug through his things before he surfaced with his laptop.

"I wonder if Riku'll like me," Sora hummed as he started up his computer.

And Sora soon slipped into past memories. A brief trip down memory lane, if you will.

* * *

"Come on Sora, just send the guy a freaking message!" Selphie complained as she fidgeted in her seat beside her brunet friend. Her sharp eyes were glued to Sora's computer screen, waiting for her lab partner to type something.

Sora just sat there, staring blankly at the computer. He had typed in the boy's instant message name but that was all. Maybe this was a bad time? Maybe he didn't want to speak to him? Sora's stomach twisted uncomfortably as he glanced at Selphie. "Maybe I will after school. He might be bus-" Sora began but yelped when Selphie typed in a rapid, 'hi', and sent it.

"Selphie!" Sora hollered in despair. "He's _my_ pen pal, not yours!" Sora complained wearily. The prominent emotion in Sora's voice was worry- not anger.

"Sora, the whole class has already talked to their pen pal already. You're the only one that hasn't. And now you have!" she stated joyfully. Without another word, the pigtailed girl sprung up from her seat and sauntered off to attend to her own work, leaving Sora in shambles.

Sora meekly looked up from the keys. The teen vaguely noticed the message.

'Hello.'

Sora gulped and lowered his fingers onto the keys, shaking a bit despite the public setting. 'Is this a bad time? If it is, I'm sorry.' Sora sent the message and bit down on his bottom lip. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with a pompous egotistical jerk.

'Not at all. In fact, I'm quite bored. Haha. I'm amusing you're the Biology student from Connecticut, right?'

Sora exhaled sharply and smiled at the response. This person seemed incredibly kind. Feeling a bit more at ease with the situation, Sora typed up his response quicker than before. 'Yeah, that's me! My name's Sora… what's yours? Unless that's asking too much!'

'Riku. And not at all. How old are you?'

Sora watched the screen intently. The brunet wasn't really one for instant messages, but he figured he'd come to love them. The idea of a new friend sounded quite endearing. Especially one that could help him out with school! 'Just turned fifteen this November. You?'

'Turning Sixteen in May.'

'That's awesome!' Sora replied, leaning back cozily in his chair. After a moment, he quickly typed up a new message. 'Do you honestly get any of this Biology stuff? I'm clueless…' Sora's cheeks tinted a light shade of red, as if embarrassed that he didn't understand any of this.

'It's stupid really All the terms tie in together You guys are on ecology, right? Well … just think of something clever to remember the terms by. Like biological community…. It's made of two populations. Think of the two populations as like… two couples, right? And they live together in this big house with their abiotic factor being light (or lack of, seeing they shack up so much, haha). And that forms a biological community. Got it?'

'Wow. Thanks, Riku! I can actually remember _that_!' Sora grinned triumphantly. 'You must be _really_ smart to remember this boring stuff, huh?'

'I try.'

And Sora just knew that this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, cliché and all.

* * *

There was another moment that Sora loved to look back on. The brunet was in his junior year and so was Riku. Sora's grandmother had just died and he was in shambles. He was a _complete_ wreck. His mind was displaced and no matter what he did he could not contain his tears His friends tried to help but it worked to no avail. Not even Kairi could break the brunet out his rut. Sora turned to his fan fictions (he enjoyed writing them in his spare time. Writing about love always seemed to make him so much happier). Not even the carefully strung sentences seemed to lighten his mood. The only thing that made the day seem a bit brighter was that wonderful Riku. Riku had stayed up until three, on a school night that is, comforting the brunet. And for some reason, those words of comfort stuck with Sora. Riku was a valuable friend, regardless of his lack of meeting him in real life. But now…now he could finally do such.

Sora had been lost in deep thought over his girlfriend and his fan fictions _and_ his memories with Riku when his cell phone rang. The brunet teenager temporarily set his laptop on the bed and maneuvered his body off the bed so he could snag his singing phone. His ring tone? Maroon Five.

"Hello?" Sora asked sheepishly as he rose the Blue Razr to his ear.

"Sora!" a cheerful female voice sang from the other line. A smile at once was etched onto the teenager's face.

"Kairi! Hey! What's up?" he asked cheerfully. Sora plopped his body back down on the bed beside his laptop. That's right, he needed to check to see if they had wireless internet in the dorms. He'd do that after he got done with Kairi.

"Not much. Tifa wanted to tell me she says hi. Yeah, she's over and won't leave me alone!" Kairi sulked and then laughed. "I miss you already, Sora. I wish it was spring break already. Gwagh. Why did you have to go to college so far away?" she complained.

"Because it's my dream," Sora stated dramatically, a grin creeping onto his lips. "And this place is amazing. I can't wait to start! I haven't really met any of the people here yet… but I bet they're awfully friendly!"

"Sounds like fun," Kairi agreed. "Just don't forget about little old me."

"Never!" Sora replied vehemently. "I'll think about you every second of every moment!"

"That's a good Sora," she answered, giggling all the while. "I'm just glad that your dreams are coming true and you got to go there. I'm so happy for you, Sora. Make sure you do your best!"

"You sound like my mom, Kairi," Sora said and proceeded to pout. "But I will. I promise I'll see you soon Just make sure you call me every night, okay? "

"Can do!" Kairi cheerfully answered. "I have to go and do some things around my _own_ dorm. And meet Tifa for lunch. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay? Bye Sora _darling_."

Sora hated when she called him that and she knew it. It was their little inside joke. "See ya, Kai." And with that the phone conversation ended. And with that, Sora went back to busily typing up his fan fictions.

* * *

"I'll see you at lunch!"

Naminé wrapped her slender arms increasingly tighter around her boyfriend's neck. The petit blonde reached up on her tiptoes and placed a tender kiss onto her taller boyfriend's lips. She smiled affectionately and clung to the tall male, refusing to let go anytime soon. Her blue eyes were at half mast as she laid her head against the taller's firm chest. "You're really warm," she commented contently, her cheek pressed against the male's chest.

"Well, humans _do_ produce heat," replied the silver haired male. "So naturally, of course I'm warm." He flashed his girlfriend a brilliant smile and wrapped his arms around her.

"You're so suave," Naminé replied with a giggle. The blonde sighed peacefully and remained in her boyfriend's arms for a long while. "You're meeting him today, huh?"

"Yep," he answered with a swift nod. The male's hands began to tenderly stroke over the blonde's hair with agile fingers. "I'm meeting him at the dorms," he went on to say, the grin growing in size by the moment.

"I'm glad you two are finally meeting," Naminé said, nuzzling her cheek once against her boyfriend's chest. "You always seem so happy when you're talking to him. I can't wait to see you two together in real life. I'll make sure to take a picture," she teased, lightly batting his chest with her hand. Once done, her thin fingers splayed over the area, clinging to the fabric of the other's shirt.

"It'll be a literal Kodak moment," he answered with a chuckle. "I bet you'll get along with him. He's so easy to get along with."

"Yeah. I mean, he sounds great from the way you talk about him," Naminé replied with a bright smile. "He's going to be a great addition around here, Riku" she hummed excitedly.

"Of course," Riku replied and ran his fingers through Naminé's blonde hair. "Speaking of which, I better head off to the dorms. He's probably already there… and I'm already late. Ha… what a wonderful first impression."

Naminé giggled again. "Well then, hurry up," she said sweetly and released her grip on her boyfriend. "Like I said, I'll see you at lunch. Bring sure to bring Sora with you, okay?" She nodded and reached up to place another kiss onto Riku's lips.

Riku returned the kiss eagerly. His pale hand rested on her cheek, tenderly brushing his thumb along the reddened area. They broke apart a minute later, both a bit breathless from the chaste, but lingering, kiss. "See ya," Riku replied with a massive grin and headed off to the dorms.

* * *

"There!" Sora declared triumphantly with a brilliant smile. He had just finished the first chapter of his newest fanfic. And now all he had to do was proof-read, send to his beta, and then post it! And perhaps receive a bus-load of reviews? That'd be nice. Sora grinned and leaned his back against the headboard of his bed. At random, the brunet teenager peered to the left. Riku was ten minutes later… maybe he decided not to come after all.

"Nah, he'll come," Sora replied brightly and went back to reading a fan fiction that he had currently been following. It was easy to see that Sora was obsessed with romantic stories and just love in general. Perhaps not for himself (seeing that what he held for Kairi wasn't necessarily love, but strong attraction).

Sora was about to start Chapter Five when he heard the doorknob turn. Sora's eyes widened as he set the laptop down. _This is it. This is it! I'm meeting Riku! I'm meeting my best friend ever for the first time ever!_ Excitement coursed through Sora as he eagerly sat on the edge of the bed.

And Sora's jaw just completely dropped.

Sora had predicted Riku to look average… but no. That was far from the truth. The teenager was tall, well-built, and had gorgeous, silky silver hair that went down to his shoulders. Sora's eyes washed over Riku's body as the male kicked his suitcase into the room, grumbling at it for being so heavy.

"Riku!" Sora chimed jubilantly as he lunged off the bed and tangled his arms around the male's form.

Riku froze in spot and let go of the bag he was carrying. Cautiously, the silver haired male glanced at the body that had charged into his arms. Brown hair…short… Sora. Riku hesitantly laughed, not really sure what to say or do. Apparently this wasn't awkward at _all_ for Sora. What a contradiction.

"Wow, you're really tall!" Sora stated happily, his arms tightly around his friend. "And your hair is so cool!" Sora began to ramble for a minute before he finally let go. The brunet pulled back a foot and stared brightly up at Riku. And god, the male's face was even more gorgeous than his body.

Riku stared cautiously back at Sora. _He looks like a little kid… that's cute. He seems so happy.. And here I am, not saying a word… aren't first meetings supposed to be awkward and not so…natural?_ "So, you're Sora, huh?"

Riku's voice was oddly alluring. Sora liked it. "Mhm!" the brunet replied benevolently. "The one and only." Sora laughed and bit his bottom lip. "Uh…Sorry about for like…attacking you right off the bat, heh. It's just that I'm so excited… I mean, I _finally_ am meeting you!"

And three years was _quite_ a long time. "It's fine," Riku answered coolly. "I can't believe we never sent pictures to one another. This is just so odd."

"I know," Sora drawled, agreeing ten-fold. "It feels so weird to actually be talking to you without my laptop!" Sora grinned and rocked on the balls of his feet, sapphire hues watching Riku with amusement.

_What do I say now?_ Riku thought uneasily and restlessly scratched the back of his head. "So….uh…"

"You remind me of one of those models," Sora said, holding back a laugh. "You know, the really tall ones for those preppy stores. The models that are always the highlights of the magazines."

"…I do?" Riku replied and cocked his head to the side. _Hah. If Naminé heard that she'd probably die of laughter_. "Well then, thank you, Sora."

"No problem!" Sora replied and then broke out into a fit of laughter. The brunet teen took a sit on the edge of his bed and continued to laugh. Riku blinked thrice and eyed the brunet, as if trying to gauge why the brunt was laughing so heartily.

"Did I do something funny?" Riku wondered curiously as he took a seat beside his friend. "I don't think I did?…"

"No," Sora drawled and cleared his throat, trying to stifle the laughs. "I just thought how random it was for me to comment about your looks." Sora grinned and then smiled at the silveret. And it was evident that Sora was a gregarious ball of fluff.

"Well, it was kind of random," Riku agreed and then chuckled. "But I better get used to it, huh?"

"Yes sire!" answered Sora. "So… are you gonna introduce me to your friends and all that jazz?"

"Of course," Riku replied and arose from the bed. "I'll unpack later. Naminé wanted us to go to lunch with her and everyone else. So yeah, consider that your formal …. Greeting thing." Riku trailed off and shook his head, his silver bangs falling onto his pale forehead.

"Then let's go!" Sora stated joyfully as he snagged Riku's wrist and led the silveret out of the dorm and towards lunch…wherever that was. This was going to be an _interesting_ day, for sure.

* * *

review, you _know_ you want to. pretty please? 


	2. first greetings

_many thanks to my lovely beta, who always is so helpful to me. love her lots. a special thanks to all the reviewers and all the people that fav'd and alert'd. You guys are simply amazing. That's why I write- for you guys. Uhm. This story is so fun to write and I love how easily it flows out. And I'm sorry if the NamineRiku thing offends anyone ... this is a RikuSora story, but yeah you know, you have to go through life to get to the good stuff. Haha. So please enjoy this chapter. Please, also, leave a review. Even if it's just one word, or saying what you liked/didn't. It's all welcomed. Now onward!_

_if you saw this chapter update twice, it's because i up'd the rating to M, because I know somewhere along the line it's going to boarderline that._

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_**Unwritten**_

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_four months prior ..._

"Sora, I don't get it… you're gay but you're dating a girl…"

Selphie had been his friend for countless years and it was rare that the pig-tailed brunette was serious. Right now was one of those occasions. It was, in fact, amazing that Selphie could hold up such intellectual conversations without randomly combusting into fits of laughter or spewing out random comments like a broken fountain. It was a bit harsh to say that the female was hyperactive and spontaneous without mentioning her mature and understanding side. A side that Sora adored and found to be the greatest trait in his friend. Selphie was complex, yes, but she just enjoyed living her life and making the best out of the moments she did get to live through.

Sora sighed heavily and shook his head. Brown locks of hair fell onto his tanned face, blocking his eyes from Selphie's. "Selphie, you know that I love her. She's different. She makes me feel happy. She's my best friend and my girlfriend. That's rare, isn't it?" Sora lifted his gaze, at last, and stared at his brunette friend, quite hopefully.

Selphie 'hmphed' and tapped her notebook diligently. She seemed quite irritated at this moment. "But you said it yourself, Sora. You like guys," Selphie groused, narrowing her eyes the slightest. "Are you calling Kairi _manly_?"

"I do like guys but- What?! Kairi is _not manly! _What the heck!" Sora hollered and turned a dark shade of red. "She's pretty and sweet and definitely not manly…" Sora trailed off and looked nervously around the room.

"Then what the hell are you attracted to? There's got to be a reason other than that… I mean, you like guys. Okay. I got that, Sora. You don't like any other girls except Kairi, I got that too. But there are tons of sweet and smart girls _and_ guys out there. So what the hell makes Kairi so special?" Selphie demanded, seemingly quite fractious at her brunet friend.

"I don't know!" Sora shot back, shaking his head angrily. "I've been her friend forever and I'm comfortable around her! I don't care that she's a girl!" Sora buried his face into his hands and continued mumbling his protests that went unheard.

Selphie 'hmphed' again and looked off to the side. Suddenly, the girl viciously snapped her fingers together, uttering an 'aha!'. Sora's gaze met hers and she shrunk back. "Sora, I've _got_ it."

"…What?" Sora asked nervously, afraid to see what his friend had concocted in her insane mind.

"When you go off to college this fall, and you don't fall in love with a _guy_, that'll prove that you really do love Kairi for who she is. It'll prove to me that you just don't _think_ you're in love. Cause if you _are_ in love, you won't fall in love with someone else." Selphie nodded triumphantly and smacked her hand down against the notebook. "How does _that_ sound?"

"It sounds stupid," Sora answered honestly. "Of course I'm not going to fall in love with someone else! I'm not a cheater!"

Selphie sighed dreamily. "Oh Sora, you can't stop the flow of love. What's meant to be is meant to be," Selphie cooed, clasping her hands together. "Besides, I'd love to see you get together with a hot looking guy. That way you guys can take pictures together and send them to me and-"

"Yaoi freak," Sora mumbled and looked away from his friend rather dejectedly. "You'll see… I love Kairi and nothing is ever going to come between us…"

**x**xxx**x**xxx**xx**x**x**

The first thing Sora noticed about the campus café was that the walls were drenched in bright orange paint. Now, usually Sora _loved_ the vibrant color, but for some reason it came as a surprise to Sora. Who painted their walls that brightly? The next thing the brunet noticed was that there were brown colored tapestries hanging from the ceiling with names of students that he did not recognize. Former athletes, perhaps? Sora didn't bother asking and continued to glance around the café. There was a counter with stools, grey rustic tables scattered about, a small dance floor nestled in the corner (that was quite innovative) and a wall covered in pictures. Oh, and the music. There was music blaring from the speakers in the ceiling.

Sora's nose twitched the slightest at the smell of coffee. Sora _adored_ coffee- especially with cookies. The jovial brunet looked to his right at Riku, displaying a wide grin on his face. The café wasn't that crowded, due to the fact that many students were getting their dorm rooms in order for the upcoming year. Many didn't have time to stop by for lunch, or just ordered to go. Sora and Riku on the other hand; they had all the time in the world.

"Like it?" Riku wondered as he grinned, crossing his arms nonchalantly to his chest. The male's silver bangs fell haphazardly onto his forehead, almost concealing his bright green eyes from view.

"Mhm!" Sora replied instantly as he continued looking around the café. It was just plain _amazing_. And best of all, it was only open to the college students. That made it even _better_. Sora sighed happily as he followed Riku across the café towards the windows where a group of three people sat, eagerly chattering back and forth.

One was a girl with light blonde hair that fell down onto her white blouse, accompanying piercing blue eyes. Her skin was pale and she looked almost ghost-like. However, her beauty shone through and it almost seemed like her skin radiated warmth, not death. A smile was on her thin lips as her hands laced together onto of her lap, upon her skirt.

Beside the girl was a dirty blonde haired boy. The blond seemed to be laughing over _something_, his face a light tan colored. He was wearing the typical trendy clothing which accompanied the puka shell necklace slung around his neck. And across from _him_ was a fiery redhead who seemed to be _telling_ the jokes. Piercing, cat-like green eyes were directed at the pair.

"These are my clinically insane friends," Riku remarked as he hooked an arm around Sora's shoulders and brought the boy over to the table. Sora's cheeks lightly stained a pink color when he noticed the red-head's gaze upon him. For some reason, the male reminded him of Kairi. He was insanely gorgeous and- No. Bad. Thoughts of Kairi pounded his head as he looked away, oblivious to Riku's arm around him.

"Axel, Namine, Tidus… this right here is Sora," Riku declared as he let go of his grip around Sora. The silveret tapped Sora's shoulder to drag the brunet's attention back. Sora shyly looked back at the trio and sheepishly waved. "Tidus," Riku said and pointed to the dirty blond who was raising his hand in greeting. "Axel," Riku went on, pointing his thumb over at the red-head who was smirking widely at Sora. Sora laughed nervously and offered a timid wave back, his cheeks a bright red.

"He's cute," Axel commented offhandedly, waggling his eyebrows at the newcomer. Riku rolled his eyes at his friend and patted Sora on the shoulder, as if to push the brunet's focus back onto the introduction. Sora cautiously pried his eyes away from Axel and then to the last remaining member at the table.

"And this is my beautiful girlfriend, Naminé," Riku concluded as he let go of Sora and walked over to the blonde, draping his arms around her shoulders as he stood behind her. She promptly giggled and blushed when he lightly kissed her cheek. Axel made a disgusted sound and Tidus looked away with a look of almost jealousy.

"Riku," she complained in the midst of a laugh, pushing his arms off her. "Don't be rude," she cooed and shooed him away playfully. Her blue eyes turned to Sora as she waved cheerfully. "Sorry for my boyfriend's antics, he's got clinging problems." And that was followed by another laugh from the blonde.

Sora nodded and smiled brightly at the pair. _Riku never told me had a girlfriend before. Wow. He looks really happy! Maybe he can give me tips for Kairi!_ Sora thought cheerfully as he continued to smile welcomingly at the pair. "Nice to meet you," Sora answered after a moment.

"Ignore the two lovebirds," Axel interjected as he punched Riku's shoulder. "They've been dating for two weeks now and they can't keep their hands off one another," Axel explained and promptly rolled his eyes, turning to Sora to make a gagging motion.

"Oh can it Axel," Tidus declared from his side of the table and motioned to the seat beside him that was vacant. "Here, take a seat. Sora, right?"

Sora nodded thankfully and sat down beside Tidus, watching Riku sit across from him and beside Axel. Although Riku was across from Sora, his eyes remained glued to his girlfriend's body, smirking occasionally at her. Sora blinked, flushed, and looked away. Riku's smirk was quite intimidating… he was surprised that Naminé could withstand it.

"Wait wait!" Axel cut through the silence, waving his hands frantically in the air. All eyes set upon him. "Sora. As in the _pen pal_ Sora. As in _that_ Sora?"

Sora laughed and shifted in his seat, staring down at the table in front of him. "Uh, yeah. That's me," he replied shyly.

"Dude, Riku never stops _talking about you_," Axel made known and then winced when Riku smacked him upside the head. "Geez, don't have to get defensive, Mr. Lady-killer."

"Lady-killer?" Sora echoed, tilting his head to the side.

Axel tensed and laughed a bit awkwardly. "Oh, haha. Inside joke. You see, Riku and I are best friends here and we have loads of pointless inside jokes that make no sense. You know the kind," Axel spoke in a ramble, eying Riku who was giving him daggers. Quite frightening daggers, actually. If looks could kill, they'd do such.

"Then again-" Tidus interrupted and was kicked in the shin by Riku. Of course, this action was out of sight by both Sora and Naminé who were exchanging confused glanced from around the table. Tidus coughed and waved his hands in the air to dismiss the awkward air that had suddenly formed in a thick mist around the group.

"So, Sora," Axel began again, changing the subject as fast as he knew possible. "What are you majoring in?"

"Business," Sora replied in a quiet voice. "My dad works at a company and he wants me to go to college so I can take over for him. You know, family business," Sora explained and then added on, "though I'm minoring in English because I really want to be a novelist…" The last bit went unheard by everyone except Riku.

"Cool." Axel nodded and then glanced over his shoulder. "Yo, where the hell is our waitress?" Axel demanded and then turned back to his friends. "I'm going to go fetch one. See ya kiddies in a few," Axel informed them and arose from his seat and sauntered over to the counter. Not to get a waitress but to flirt with the blond boy at the cashier.

"That was odd," Tidus said once their red-haired friend had left.

"Agreed," Naminé concurred and laughed apprehensively. "So uhm, Sora," she looked to him, "you said you're going to run your dad's business. What kind is it?"

"Personal finance," Sora said with a defeated sigh, not looking too fond of the idea. "He owns this big corporation down where I live. It's really popular there," Sora explained in a bashful tone as he began playing with his fingers. Meeting new people was so awkward, but yet again, when he had met Riku face-to-face the first time, he had been overjoyed and jubilant. Maybe that was because he and Riku got along so well?

"That sounds nice," Naminé replied and then glanced to Tidus once again. "Aren't you majoring in something like that?" she asked him with a tilt of her head.

Tidus nodded brisk fully. "Yep. Though I'm going to start my own business with my cousin once he graduates. That's the plan," Tidus explained, looking to Sora with a hopeful smile. "Axel and I are sophomores here, so we've been through this system for a year now. The first year of business is rough, but I'm sure having someone as smart as Riku here for a room-mate… you'll do fine."

"That's right!" Naminé chimed happily, looking at Sora and then Riku. "You two can be study buddies! Olette and I already agreed to," she paused, "my room-mate. She's really sweet. She said she'll try and come to lunch with us one of these days."

"Oh the wonders of study buddies," Tidus grumbled to himself, with a pained look, and then rolled his eyes before adding in, "That's a wonderful idea, Naminé!"

And Sora could easily detect the silent affection Tidus felt for Riku's girlfriend. Was that a good thing? To have your friend lusting after your girlfriend…? Sora sat and thought for a moment. He knew that Hayner, back home, liked Kairi but… would his absence bring the two closer…? Hayner _had_ gone out of his way to go to Kairi's college and- No. Kairi was faithful and they were in _love_.

"Hey, Sora," Riku said, finally speaking to his friend. Sora's eyes snapped up and met aquamarine ones almost instantly. "You up for that?"

Up for…oh! "Of course! We'll definitely pass if we study together." Realizing the clichéness and awkwardness of what he just said, Sora lowered his head. "I mean, yeah, sounds good to me."

Tidus stifled a laugh and looked out the window, his mind wandering back to the beautiful female beside him who was currently, and utterly, unavailable. Sora played with his fingers in his lap and silently wondered what the other members of the table thought of him. Was he too loud? Too hyper? Too happy? Sora knew that perhaps he had come off a bit too … perky to Riku earlier but did that mean that Riku didn't like him?

"Well, I better get going," Riku announced as he exited his seat and stood beside the table. At once, Sora's eyes snapped, drenched with confusion, over at the silveret. Sora's lips mouthed 'where', to which Riku easily caught on. "I have to talk to my professor about my schedule," Riku explained smoothly and offered a charming smile at Sora. "I'll see you at the dorm room later, Sora. Then we can catch up and all that."

For some reason, Riku's sudden departure angered _and_ saddened the brunet. Sora said nothing and nodded. Blue eyes watched, with slight jealously, as Naminé arose from her seat and stalked after Riku, waving a smiling goodbye to Sora. And it wasn't like Sora was _envious_ of Naminé or something. No. Sora had Kairi. And Sora definitely didn't like Riku in any romantic sense because, basically, Riku was his best friend, and that would be wrong…

"Aren't they adorable?" Tidus asked with sincerity, though sarcasm was evident in his voice.

Sora snapped out of his distant thoughts and looked back over at the last remaining member at the table. Sora nodded. "They seem really happy together," commented Sora with a slight smile, watching as the pair left the café, hand in hand. Riku must be an _amazing_ boyfriend.

"Two weeks and they're acting like long lost lovers. Axel says it's true love…" Tidus at once bore a melancholic look. Sora usually wasn't good at understanding what people said or did, but when it came down to _human_ emotions, he understood completely. Especially love. Which, honestly, was an ironic thing.

Sora wrote love stories. Stories that involved two main characters creatively meeting, going through some hardships, and then ultimately getting together. The brunet liked to live his life _through_ his characters, for he was too bashful to do anything like his characters did, in real-life. And besides, his characters were both males, and they were _happy_. Sora, on the other hand, was with Kairi … and he was happy, but it just felt… so lonely. But Sora digressed. Life wasn't like his stories…

"True love, huh?" Sora repeated and shook his head. "Maybe it is. I'm not sure."

"Now, putting them aside for a moment," Tidus said and then folded his hands together on the table and glanced over to his right at the brunet. "Tell me a bit more about yourself. Your personal life. You're obviously a likeable person from what Riku's said about you… have yourself a girlfriend?"

"I do," Sora answered with a sharp nod. "She's attending college in Massachusetts. She was worried about the long-distance relationship but I told her not to worry about it and that we'd get along just fine," Sora explained casually, not noticing that he had begun to nervously play with his fingers.

Tidus scoffed promptly. "Long-distance relationships?" An eye roll. "Those never last."

"Well, thanks for the encouraging words," Sora said quietly and sighed. "I want it to work. We love each other and yeah… Kairi would never do anything to end it and neither would I. I mean… we've been away from one another for around a month so far and we're doing fine."

"That's good, I suppose," Tidus responded.

"Well, what about you?" Sora wondered, tilting his head to the side curiously, and almost a bit shyly.

"I dated Olette," Tidus began to explain, sighing a bit at first. "Before we came here, I meant. We went to the same high school a few miles away. Anyhow… we dated for six months then broke up. It didn't work. That's all."

"I'm sorry," Sora whispered and instantly frowned. "Isn't that Naminé's room-mate? Olette?"

"Yep," Tidus groaned and rubbed his forehead. "My crush and ex sharing a room. Doesn't that make for a wonderful time?"

"Your crush?" Sora responded, his eyebrows arching. So his guess had been right? That was new. Sora grinned a bit timidly at Tidus and then paled when he realized that Tidus had frozen and was looking quite petrified. "Uh… I won't tell, don't worry," Sora stammered nervously.

"If Riku knows that I like Naminé he'll _kill_ me. Riku would just like…" Tidus paused, cleared his throat, and then continued, "Riku would murder me in my sleep and then throw my body off a cliff. A large cliff. Riku would _hate_ me."

"Riku would hate you for what?" Axel cut in, taking a seat across from the two males. The male's eyebrows quirked and he motioned with his right hand for Tidus to continue.

"Riku would hate me for nothing," Tidus snapped and looked off to the left. "Forget about it, Axel."

"Someone's grumpy," Axel teased and then glanced at the two empty seats. "Speaking of the handsome fiend, where'd he go? And where'd Nami go? Oh dear, don't tell me they're fucking in the janitor closet." Axel promptly turned his attention to the small closet in the corner of the café, cupped his hands around his mouth, and then hollered, "Get out of there you two! Hands to _yourselves!"_

Tidus smacked his forehead with his palm. "Argh. I'm going to go finish unpacking before you give me another headache. See ya later," Tidus said and waved Sora and Axel off and left the café.

"What the heck," Sora complained and frowned. "They _all _left without having lunch!"

"… We all ate before you and Riku came," Axel explained casually and smirked at the brunet. "So, it would seem that I have earned myself some one on one time with you, eh?" Axel grinned at this and laced his fingers together under his chin.

"I suppose…" Sora replied and laughed nervously. "… Anything you want to know?"

And as bluntly and _politely_ as he could, Axel asked, "Are you gay?"

Sora flinched and eyed Axel with pure mortification. "W-why would you ask?" Sora stammered and gripped his pants tightly. Blue eyes cast themselves downward before Sora stated defensively, "I have a girlfriend, thank you."

"Coverup!" Axel sang and then proceeded to say, "It's like makeup! You can apply as much as you want, but you can never hide the hideous pimple!" … Did Axel just compare dating girls when you're gay to wearing makeup? Yes, he did.

Sora blinked and felt sweat appear on the base of his neck. "Are you ever serious?"

"At times," Axel stated calmly and smirked at Sora. "But who would want to act serious all the time? How bo-ring. 'sides, I got accepted into this college and I'm still here. That proves something." A devilish smirk.

"I see," Sora said quietly and swallowed hard. "You seem… like quite the character," Sora said hesitantly. And now was _not_ the time to be analyzing Axel's character, pretending that he was a fan fiction character in Sora's stories. No, bad Sora!

"That I am," answered Axel proudly. "But you never answered my question. Are you gay? Yes or no?"

Sora gulped again. "I told you that I'm dating Kairi, so it's obvious that-"

"The jury has just come in with their decision! The jury finds you_ guilty_. Now don't try that smooth-talking denial with me. I know my stuff. And the way that you were looking at Riku, hell, it should be a federal _crime_. Shall I put you on the stand for that as well?"

Sora blinked thrice. "What…?"

Axel allowed his palm to make contact with his forehead. "What I _meant_ is that denying what you are is pointless."

"Oh…" Sora cleared his throat. "What does it matter to you? I mean, I'm in love with my girlfriend so it really shouldn't matter… Should it?"

"Kid, you're amusing," Axel hummed and flashed a toothy grin at Sora. "I think you'll be a wonderful addition to this campus."

"Thanks," answered Sora. "Uhm…"

"Just answer my question already. Are you or not? I'm not going to _tattle _on you to your girlfriend. I'm far more mature than a fourth grader… maybe not a fifth but _hey_, you can't win them all!" Axel beamed amusedly at Sora, gesturing for Sora to just come clean. What an odd way to start freshman year in college…

"… Fine," Sora confessed and his gaze at once shot down to his feet. "And my girlfriend knows. She knows that she's the only girl I've ever liked. But it's just, I never told anyone else except my other friend, Selphie…. I'm too ashamed to tell my guy friends. I'm afraid they'll shun me." Sora winced.

"Oh man, so we're in the same boat! Oh man! High five!" Axel declared with a grin as he lifted his hand into the air. The moment that Sora was about to hesitantly high-five him, Axel pulled his hand away, leaving Sora's hand lingering in the air. "Ohohoh, raise your hand if you're gay," he cooed playfully.

Sora frowned. "That wasn't funny…"

"I know," Axel laughed and smiled fondly at the brunet. "But seriously, we're in the same boat. You see," Axel pointed over his shoulder to the blond cashier, "that boy over there, well I have a crush on him. But he's terminally straight… like Riku, for instance."

"I'm sorry," Sora said quietly, feeling a bit bad.

"I know," Axel explained with a dismal shrug. "But hey, there's other fish in the sea. Eh?" Axel snickered and then went on to say, "Now, let's get back on the subject of _Riku_."

"W-why?" Sora asked, quite nervously.

"Well, Riku's been claiming for years that he's as straight as they come. He goes through a girlfriend every month, almost. He's not abusive or a whore or anything, he just never can hold up a steady relationship. Either the girl dumps him because she doesn't feel the chemistry, or he ends it because things are falling apart. And that's basically why he's all over Naminé… he wants to make sure it doesn't end with her. I feel bad for the bloke. Too caught up in women to realize that he doesn't even want them," Axel explained and then mockingly pouted.

"Wait, Riku's…?" Sora blinked.

"Oh, he's never confessed and he never will. I just have my theories. Anyhow, I'm glad that _someone_ here has a common interest with me," Axel cooed and smiled again at Sora. "Now, you _have_ to admit that Riku is pretty damn hot."

Sora flushed. "I never… really looked at him… I don't like looking at people when-"

"How can you _not_?! He's a fucking sex god that's graced our lives and he's willingly handing out calling cards, begging us to wrench them from his belt!" Axel declared in such a way that it startled Sora and made him laugh.

"Uhm… I don't…" Sora looked pensive for a moment and couldn't help the smallest of blushes. And the moment he thought he had it under control, Axel started up again.

"Just imagine what it'd be like to have sex with the guy. His silver hair all coated with sweat… drenching… his beautiful teeth grazing over your skin, nibbling occasionally, tasting… His lips traveling down your body, _far_ too south to mention in public, his godly body pressed firmly against yours so that you can feel every single _curve _and oh god, I better stop there!" Axel swooned and then smirked due to his own fantasies.

"Er!" Sora said nervously and looked to the side. "I… don't really think about that kind of stuff… I'm sorry?"

"Hah, it's okay," Axel said, dismissing the uncertainty in the air. "You're adorable, kid. I'm glad that Riku convinced you to come here for school. You'll make such an amazing addition to this boring place."

"Thanks," Sora said quietly and smiled radiantly back at the red-head.

The slightly perverted red-head grinned and then nodded to himself. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to get back to my own dorm. I need to do some things before class starts tomorrow. I'll see you around, Sora. Have fun rooming with the sex god in denial!" Axel cooed and got up to leave.

"Uhm, Axel?" Sora asked cautiously before the green-eyed male could leave.

"Hm?" Axel asked, glancing back over his shoulder at Sora.

"… If you're really in love, gender shouldn't matter….right?"

"Of course it shouldn't," Axel concurred and smiled faintly at Sora. "I'm sure you and your girlfriend will have a long and loving relationship." With that, Axel left.

Sora sighed and went back to ordering his lunch, feeling a bit dizzy. Too many things happening in one day…

**x**xxx**x**xxx**xx**x**x**

Sora had _finally_ finished unpacking. The brunet had sorted all of his clothing into the correct drawers (underwear being hidden beneath the shirts…), his books in the bottom shelf, and in the middle his pants along with other useless devices. Sora figured that he would remember where everything was…for a few days. After a brief call with Kairi, Sora nestled himself up on his bed and went back to typing up stories on his laptop. This time, though, he was inspired by Tidus' love for Naminé who was currently taken. It made Sora frown but, at the same time, it inspired him.

See, the thing was, Sora could never show Riku his stories. Riku didn't _know_ that Sora was gay. And these stories were about _guys together_. Riku would catch on and perhaps not want to room with him. People did odd and drastic things, sometimes. But still… Sora wanted to desperately show his best friend his writings. He wanted to connect with Riku more, like best friends normally did.

Sora sighed heavily and reached over his laptop to snag his schedule of classes for the next day. Quickly looking it over, Sora set it back down. The brunet absently wondered if he had any classes with his new friends. Or with Riku. That'd be nice!

"I can't believe I'm in college," Sora murmured to himself and stared up at the ceiling of the dorm room. It felt like high school just yesterday. Time was surely flying by… it didn't even _feel_ like Riku and he had known each other for three years! Three years of friendship…

Speaking of the man…

Riku entered the dorm-room a few moments later, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. The silver haired male glimpsed over at the bed, noticing Sora curled up on the corner of the bed with a laptop in his lap. Riku grinned profusely and took a seat on the edge of the bed. Sora must have been _lost_ in the music playing on his laptop and the words he was writing for when Riku leaned his chin over the laptop, Sora squeaked loudly.

"What're you writing?" Riku hummed curiously as Sora's back smacked against the back of the wall, his body hunching backwards. Since when had Riku come into the room?! And since when was Riku on his bed?!

"N-nothing, just pointless stories," Sora explained with a feeble smile. "Nothing you'd be interested in," Sora said quickly and closed out of the window, a faint blush on his cheeks from what he had been writing. Oh make out scenes, how he secretly adored those.

"I'm sure I'd like it," Riku pointed out and lifted his aquamarine eyes and met the teen's sapphire eyes. "Are you _sure_ you were writing?" Riku teased, arching a brow.

"Riku!" Sora complained and pushed him lightly in the chest. "You're so mean…"

"Thanks," Riku hummed nonchalantly and scooted off the bed. Riku stretched and yawned a bit. "God, only one more night of freedom before class starts," Riku grumbled and rubbed his forehead.

"Tell me about it," Sora agreed and lifted his gaze off his laptop and over to his friend. And now that Axel mentioned it, Riku was downright _gorgeous_. More gorgeous than Sora had originally thought. Those beautiful eyes were captivating too. No wonder he had no problems finding girlfriends like Naminé… Sora sighed mentally and offered a bright smile at Riku.

"So, how do you like the gang?" Riku inquired, sitting down on his own bed. The silver haired male scooped a pillow up in his arms and looked pointedly over at the brunet novelist.

"They seem nice," Sora responded with another faint smile. "Unique and nice."

"Well, I assume you'll get along with them really well. Though Axel's a pervert sometimes. He's always trying to sneak a peek up the campus girl's skirts," Riku groaned and rubbed his forehead, again.

Sora paled. Did Riku honestly think that Axel was _straight_? Sora bit his bottom lip and laughed nervously. "Oh, that Axel," he said quietly and looked off to the right, suddenly finding this conversation very awkward. Very, very awkward.

"Doesn't it feel weird?" Riku asked after a moment, laying down on the bed. The silveret placed his head back down against the pillow, staring rather pensively up at the ceiling.

"What feels weird?" Sora wondered, craning his neck to glance over at Riku with sheer curiosity.

"The fact that we're actually speaking face to face and that we met. It feels surreal… and yet at the same time, it feels like I've known you my entire life and you've always been there," Riku mumbled and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess it's because we've known each for so long, huh?"

"I suppose that's why," Sora agreed and eyed Riku. "I'm glad that you're my friend."

"And I'm glad you're mine," Riku concurred and began playing with the ends of his silver hair. "And you know you can always talk to me about anything, right Sora? I mean, a friendship like this is hard to come across." Riku shot Sora a cheesy grin and then they both laughed. Laughed hard.

Through giggles, Sora said, "You can do the same."

"Wow, we're dorks," Riku commented as he finally stopped laughing. "But hey, I wouldn't want us any other way. A pair of attractive dorks. What could be any better?"

"Nothing at all," Sora concluded. And in his mind, he knew that this was going to be a beautiful friendship… yet, somehow… he knew that things weren't going to stay this simple. Tidus like Naminé, Riku and Naminé were dating, Axel was hiding his sexuality from Riku (as was Sora), and Kairi and Sora were taking part in a long-distance relationship that stupid _Hayner_ threatened to end… and the all the tables were soon to be turned.

Perhaps in _no one's_ favor.


	3. first laughs

happy halloween x3 i originally posted this chapter a friend's house (whose house i snuck over afterschool... so that was the reason behind the rushed author note). Anyhow, just figured i'd warn you that this chapter is more so a plot-builder, but there is the refreshing bits of random laughs in there to keep you interested and not asleep :) Let's see, what else? The next few chapters should be more climatic than these, so don't lose faith in my just yet. I may not be able to update really quickly because Nanowrimo is starting tomorrow, the first, and well, I have an amazing rikusora plot planned out for that. So yeah. I think that's all? Oh! Thanks to all the reviewers!

* * *

first laughs

"Sora, hey… wake up."

Sora shifted uncomfortably, yanking the blanket tighter around his body. These blankets were considerably less comfortable than the ones back home. These were slightly itchy and lacked the familiar warmth that his old ones held. Sora pushed away the thought and desperately tried to cling to the minutes of sleep that he remained. What time was it? Too early to wake up, Sora figured as he drowsily nuzzled his cheek into the pillow. The brunet remained tightly woven in the blankets of his bed, trying to get back to sleep. Of course, rooming with a persistent (and not to mention drop-dead gorgeous) teenager isn't necessarily a good thing all the time.

"When's your first class?" the relentless voice asked.

Sora groaned something into the pillow in a sleepy response. All Sora wanted was to dream. In his dreams he could kiss Kairi and hang out with all his friends back home. In his dreams he had magical powers and a wonderful life and dreams always seemed to be better than reality. Sora liked that. Perhaps that was why the brunet enjoyed sleeping so much. In any case, Sora stubbornly continued sleeping, his mind finally processing the question. Class? That's right this was college, he had _classes._Now what time was his first?

"Two?" Sora tiredly answered, peeking out from under the covers. Blue eyes lazily opened and took in the morning light along with the breathtaking sight of his silver haired friend staring down at him. Sharp aquamarine eyes gawked at the brunet, as if amused by the sight of him. "How… about you?" Sora yawned, his fingers holding the blankets securely.

"Same time," Riku answered. "But I have to go to work, so I figured I'd wake you and wish you a good first day," Riku explained, a brilliant smile forming on his lips. "I probably won't see you until after dinner, though. Naminé and I are going out to dinner to celebrate our three week anniversary."

"Oh…" Sora nodded sleepily. "I'll…see you after dinner then," Sora repeated, yawning in between words. "Have a good time, Riku," he added on groggily, his grip on the blankets loosening significantly.

"Call my cell if you need anything," Riku informed Sora, placing a small piece of paper on the bureau beside Sora. "Have a good morning's sleep. See you later," Riku said as he left Sora's bedside and headed towards the entrance of the apartment. Without another word, the silveret left, leaving Sora in an uncomfortable silence.

"Now that he woke me up…" Sora grumbled to himself and turned onto his side. Slowly, the numbers on his digital clock came into focus. Fuzzy at first, but clearing over time. Six. It was six in the morning. Man, Sora would _hate_ to have to get up this early all the time. Getting up at six was for adults and high schoolers. Not…him.

Blearily, Sora reached for his cell phone on the bureau next to the slip of paper Riku had left him. With a yawn, Sora flipped open his phone and pressed pound and then five. Instantly, the phone began to ring, signaling that the call had gone through. Now all he did was wait. Yawning, again, Sora shifted his body into a sitting position. As he waited for the person on the other line to answer, the brunet rubbed his eyes with his free hand, attempting to push the sleep out of them for the time being.

"Hello?" came the tired response from the other side.

Sora was quite surprised that someone had _answered_. Sora was expecting, and hoping, for a voicemail. That way, he could leave Kairi a loving message to wake up to. "Er… did I wake you?" Sora asked, a bit nervous at the prospect of waking his girlfriend up from a good night's sleep.

"Yeah, you did," she mumbled, her words slurs.

Sora blushed from embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Kairi. It's just that Riku woke me up so I figured that I'd leave you a message. I didn't mean to wake you up. You can hang up if you want. Go back to sleep," Sora rambled. Yes, he felt awfully bad all of a sudden.

"Don't worry about it, Sora," Kairi answered in a strained slur. From her tone, it was obvious that she was fighting to remain awake. Poor girl.

"I'll call you at a more appropriate time, okay?" Sora asked quickly. When he got a mumbled answer, he quickly added on, "I love you, Kairi. Have a good night's sleep! Talk to you soon!" And with that, he quickly hung up and tossed the phone back onto the bureau. His cheeks remained a scorching red as he yanked the blankets back over his head. Great. He had just woken up Kairi. Now he felt like a complete jerk. Was she mad at him? God, he hoped she wasn't.

Within five minutes, Sora had fallen back asleep. Man, he wasn't ready for college at all.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was noon and Sora had decided to stop by the campus café for a quick lunch. After that, he'd get his things ready for his first class and soon after report there. His plan was simple and fool-proof, really, it was. However, fool-proof didn't mean that it wasn't _Axel_-proof. Sora had no idea that when he entered the café someone's gaze had fallen upon him. Sora timidly made his way up to the counter, his hands tucked in the depths of his jacket pockets. Okay, now what did he want to eat? A sandwich? Perhaps. What kind? God, why did there have to be so many choices?

"Lookie, it's _Sora_," an upbeat voice declared from behind the brunet. At once Sora's head swiveled around. Blue eyes met emerald and a smile formed on Sora's lips. Axel. "You look awfully cheerful today," Axel hummed as he looked beyond Sora, making eyes at the blond cashier yet again. Sora noticed this and gave Axel an apprehensive look. "So, what's up?"

"Nothing. Just getting something small for lunch before class," Sora explained simply. A jovial smile appeared on Sora's lips seconds after. "I suppose you're here to do the same thing, huh?" Sora questioned, tilting his head to the side out of curiosity.

"Well…" Axel drawled, "I came here for that reason, but I think my plans have changed," he informed Sora in a very dramatic manner.

Sora blinked twice. "What do you mean?" He was a bit afraid to ask, honestly. From what Sora had seen of this fiery man so far, Sora had come to two conclusions. One being that Axel was incredibly spontaneous and two, trying to predict what he was going to do was like trying to predict the weather. No matter what you say, it's always going to be wrong, unless you get lucky. And that rarely happens.

"Well, now that you're here, I figured we could blow this joint and go get some real food and have some _real_ fun," Axel informed Sora, a smirk manifesting onto his lips. To be honest, Sora was a bit afraid of what Axel meant by _fun_. If his definition of fun was anything like his humor, Sora had a long road ahead of him.

"And you're suggesting?" Sora wondered, wanting to know the specifics before he agreed to anything. Besides, he had just met Axel yesterday so who _knew_ if this man was trustworthy. Then again, Axel had openly told Sora his greatest secret in hopes that Sora wouldn't go back to Riku and tell him. That took guts. So, perhaps, Axel was worthy of trust? Maybe.

"Go to the drive through at Burger King," Axel proposed. "I have a huge hankering for those coated French fries. Gods, I can just imagine them now. I suggest we go _now_. I don't think I can wait any longer!" And Axel was acting like he was having an orgasm, not describing what he wanted to know. This man was beyond odd. Yet, for some reason, Sora didn't mind that.

"I haven't had fast-food for years," Sora said, a bit of excitement in his eyes. "I suppose I'm up for that."

"I'll pay," Axel told Sora, nodding his head to accent his words. "Don't you worry your pretty little head over it." Something furtive flashed in Axel's eyes. Before Sora had time to decipher what it was, it was gone and Axel was leading him outside towards a small red bug. A beetle. Axel didn't _look_ like a person to own a beetle. Weird.

"This… is the ladybug," Axel said, pausing midway for that dramatic flair. The red-head motioned to the red car, grinning as he gestured to the small black dot on the hood. Right. Ladybug… "It came like that. I didn't put it there," Axel said as he removed his keys from his pocket, watching as Sora walked to the passenger side. "I'm not _that_ queer." A smirk and a laugh.

Sora genuinely laughed as Axel unlocked the car. Quickly, Sora got in and glanced around the interior. It was safe to say that Sora was surprised by the _normalcy_. No weird hanging ornaments, no weird seat covers. Just a basic, grey interior. "Nice car," Sora said as Axel got in, plugging the keys in and starting the engine.

"Thanks," Axel answered, placing his hands on the steering wheel as he put the car into drive. The red-head passed his eyes over his shoulder as he backed out of his parking spot. "So, how was it being in the same room as the sexgod? Did you have dreams of his hands all over you? Did you steal a kiss while his pretty head was asleep? A grope, maybe?"

Sora flushed a dark red. "I didn't do anything, Axel. We both slept and that's it. And yes, before you ask, in separate beds," Sora slurred, looking out the window. "Besides, you _know_ that I have a girlfriend… who I woke up by accident this morning." Sora promptly banged his head against the dashboard.

"Hey, kid! Don't do that! The damn airbags will explode!" Axel declared, eyes widening in sudden intense fear.

"Explode…? Is that even possible?" Sora wondered, his cheek resting against the cold dashboard.

"You know what I mean, moron," Axel grumbled, eying Sora. The pair shared a quick laugh as Sora looked off, out the window.

"Have you ever been in a long distance relationship before?" Sora asked, his hands lightly strumming against his knee as Axel _safely_ drove the pair to lunch. Sora's question lingered in the air, almost begging to be answered.

"Can't say I have," answered Axel, shrugging his shoulders as his hands slacked against the steering wheel. "I've been in hetero relationships and I've been with guys… but never long distance. I'm the type of guy that needs physical contact. Whether it's a hug or some shit like that," he explained, another shrug ensuing.

"I know what you mean," Sora replied, missing the warmth of a casual hug, or even a chaste kiss. God did he miss kissing the most. "It's really hard on me to not be able to kiss Kairi."

"I can imagine," Axel snorted, turning right into the parking lot of Burger King. "I mean, I'd probably go insane if I was without my boyfriend for that long. Though, I'm already insane as it is, but, eh." Axel shrugged and led the 'Ladybug' into the line for the drive through.

"I don't think you're insane," Sora said, turning his head to the right to stare at his new friend with a gentle smile. Wrong thing to say, Sora. Wrong thing indeed.

"Really?" Axel wondered, a smirk appearing on his lips. That furtive look was back. Sora blinked and laughed nervously, watching as Axel drove up to the speaker. The red-head promptly rolled down the window, leaning his arm against the empty spot where the glass had once been. "Perhaps I should prove you wrong," Axel hummed, looking back to Sora with a mysterious look.

Before Sora had time to question it, the voice of the worker had cut through his mind. Sora figured that he'd let Axel order before he did so himself.

"Hi. Can I have a number five?" Axel asked, and then added in a high-pitched, _"yeah_."

Sora slowly arched his eyebrow. "What was that?" Sora asked, uncertain if he should ask or not.

Axel just smirked. The red-head leaned incredulously closer to the speaker before asking in a sultry voice, "Would _you_ like to come to the party party in my tummy?" Sora's eyes widened before he snorted in laughter. Part of Sora was horrified but another part was in stitches over Axel's antics.

"Excuse me?" came the annoyed voice.

"I said, can I have a number five, _yeah_. With a," Axel turned to Sora who was displaying the numeral three on his fingers, "and a number three to join the party in my tummy. _Yeah_." And it was amazing how Axel kept his cool composure, regardless of the childish things he was saying.

"…That's a number five and a number three, anything else?"

"No, that's not right," Axel said coyly, waving his hand at the speaker as if he expected the worker to see him. "_You_ have to say it the way _I_ said it," Axel explained, a smirk playing on his lips. The red-head turned to Sora, whispering, "I saw this on a video once. Wicked ass funny, figured I'd try it out."

"…I'm not doing that," complained the worker, sounding quite irritable. "It's too early in the morning, _sir_."

"Well… do the _hash browns_ want to come to the party party in my tummy?" Axel wondered, cocking his brow as he tried his best not to laugh alongside Sora. "Because you _know_ there's a party in my tummy. That's oh-so yummy."

"…Please drive up," the worker mumbled, not finding this funny whatsoever.

Axel snorted and pressed the gas pedal, driving up to the window. When he did, Axel combusted into laughter alongside Sora. Tears almost formed in Sora's eyes from having laughed so hard. How random can a person get? "Axel," Sora said laughing, cheeks a dark red from the lack of oxygen. "That was…amazing!" Sora declared in-between laughs.

"Why thank you," Axel answered, chuckling to himself as he dug into his pockets for the money to pay. The red-head turned his gaze to the window, awaiting the worker to take the money and hand them their food. Axel couldn't _wait_to see the worker's reaction and- Axel at once _paled_. "Fuck," he swore, nearly dropping the money to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked, looking to Axel in confusion. "Is the manager there or something--," Sora began but then froze himself when he saw the window open. And standing there was none other than the sexgod himself. Good lord. What were the odds?

"What the _fuck_ was that?" Riku demanded, glaring down at Axel with an angry stare. "Is that some sort of sick prank you get pleasure out of? Because, if that's the case I--" Riku growled and then paused himself when he noticed the petrified brunet in the passenger's seat. "Sora?"

"H-hi, Riku…" Sora answered sheepishly, timorously waving to his friend.

Riku's angry glare continued, regardless of his acknowledgment of Sora. Wordlessly, Riku snatched the money from Axel's hands and passed them their food. Axel eyed Riku in amusement as he turned away from them, not having spoken another word. Axel sighed and passed Sora his bag and drink as he restarted the car, driving out of the parking lot.

"Riku_hates_ me!" Sora bellowed once Axel had rolled up the window. "Oh god!"

"I'm sure he doesn't hate you," Axel reasoned as he slowly drove back to the campus, feeling a bit guilty. Of all the workers to screw with, it just _had_ to be Riku. Axel felt a tremendous headache coming on. Yes. Yes, he did. "He's probably just pissed at us for being idiots, that's all."

"He better not," Sora said with a sigh, fingering his bag with a lack of appetite all of a sudden.

"Hey kid, look on the bright side. At least now you get to see Riku's buns, specially delivered to you," Axel hummed, pointing to the sandwich in the bag. And no matter how upset Sora was at this moment, he _had_ to laugh at that.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You won't believe what Axel did this morning," Riku groaned as he buried his face into his folded arms. Aquamarine eyes shut instantly, shielding his gaze from his girlfriend's. Right now Riku was far too annoyed. Though, what he really wanted to know was_why_ Sora, of all people, was with Axel. That made no sense… the pair just met. Perhaps Riku felt a bit jealous, when it came down to it. Was Axel becoming a better friend to Sora than he?

"What'd he do?" Naminé asked, his hand reaching for Riku's. Instantly, she interlaced their fingers, a small blush forming on her pale face as she did such. "It wasn't anything too bad, was it?"

"Just typical moronic behavior," Riku concluded, giving a weak squeeze to their hands. For some reason, even _that_ physical contact didn't seem to cheer him up. It didn't make him happy or anything. God, was his mind that enthralled with the prospect of Axel stealing Sora away from him? "Namine."

"Hm?" she asked, looking up from her class work to stare curiously at her boyfriend. Riku was _such_ a complex person, and Naminé knew that firsthand.

"I love you," he said, raising his head up to stare sternly at her. The words were spoken in such a serious matter that they _had_ to be true, right? Why else would he say them?

Naminé flushed a dark red and nervously looked down, giving a gentle squeeze to their hands. "R-really?" she giggled in a whisper, color continuing to grow in her face. It was rare that a boyfriend told her that. It made her feel awfully special. When Riku gave a nod to confirm it, Naminé's smile grew. "I love you too," she whispered.

"I never want to lose you," Riku protectively informed her, fingers coiling around hers. Aquamarine hues stared at Naminé, as if gazing into her beautiful soul. "Never ever," he added on, a hint of desperation in his eyes, growing by the moment.

"Riku, is something wrong?" she asked, despite the swelling in her heart. Why did hearing such words make her heart bloom?

"Nothing's wrong. Why would something be wrong?" Riku wondered, his eyebrows cocking curiously. "I just told you I love you, of course nothing's wrong," Riku reasoned, glancing at the front of the class room to make sure the professor had his back turned. When he was certain that he did, Riku shifted in his seat and captured his girlfriend's lips into a sweet kiss. And although he loved her kisses, for some reason, they always felt like they were missing something.

"Riku," she scolded in a flustered whisper. "Not during class," she warned, nervously giggling as she reached for her pen to continue writing.

"After class, then?" Riku suggested, a hint of seduction in his tone.

"Maybe," she murmured, releasing his hand, afraid that he'd catch her shaking. "We wouldn't be…doing anything, right?" Her nervous eyes flipped over to look at her gorgeous boyfriend, afraid that if she said something wrong, he'd dump her like old news.

"What do you mean?" Riku answered -- his voice barely above a whisper as he stared at her with ultimate confusion. What was Naminé getting at? Didn't she want to kiss him and take the relationship farther? Wasn't that what all girls wanted? Wasn't that what Riku wanted?

"We're not going to do anything," she repeated, "right?"

"You don't want to?" Riku asked, his eyebrows furrowing. "I thought that maybe you'd want--,"

"Riku, I'm… not really comfortable with that," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "We've only been dating for three weeks now… I think where we're at is fine, don't you?" Naminé turned to look at Riku again, hope flashing in her blue eyes.

"Yeah," Riku mumbled, slightly disappointed. "Yeah, that's fine…" It was odd, the last relationship he was in ended because he didn't_want_ to have sex and his girlfriend got mad. Now he was openly suggesting it and Naminé was getting _uncomfortable_. God, he just couldn't win.

"Are you mad at me?" she whispered, looking back at Riku. "I mean, if you really wanted to I suppose we could…"

"I'm not mad," Riku answered automatically, shaking his head. "I just figured that maybe you'd want to. Just forget about it, I won't bring it up again, I promise." It seemed like he _always_ did something wrong in his relationships, and this was proving that point. Women. Why did they have to be so confusing? Why did things never work out for him?

"Okay," Naminé answered, her voice filling with guilt. "I still love you," she reassured, her eyes settling on her notebook, feeling as if something had suddenly gone entirely wrong.

"I know," Riku said simply, turning his attention back to class. At this rate, Riku was going to end up a lonely old man. Great. Why wasn't there a handbook on healthy relationships? Things just kept getting more complex by the moment, and it was only day one of college.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"This…is the courtyard," Tidus declared, outstretching his arms to motion to the expansive area in front of Sora.

Sora's eyes at once sucked up the details. There was luscious grass, a small fountain in the center, marble-looking sidewalks, benches, and a plethora of flowers. It was, to say the least, beautiful. And the mountains in the distance just added to the novelty. "Wow, this place is amazing," Sora remarked, holding his Calculus book close. The brunet had just returned from his first class of the day and was relishing in his thirty minute break before the next one began.

"I know," Tidus answered, crossing his arms behind his head. "Riku and Naminé usually spend a lot of time here. That is, when they're not making out," Tidus laughed, rolling his eyes, attempting to hide the jealously that betrayed his voice.

"He really loves her, huh?" Sora guessed, following Tidus over to a bench to sit down. After having done that, Sora placed his books under the bench and turned to look at his new friend, eager to get to know the blond better.

"I'm not sure love is the right word," Tidus answered with a shrug. "I don't think it's possible to love someone after only three weeks."

"Maybe," Sora said with a shrug of his own. "Let's not talk about Riku…please?"

"Why? Did the guy do something to upset you?" Tidus wondered, looking curiously to the brunet.

"Not really," Sora admitted, an embarrassed blush creeping up onto his cheeks. "More like something I did myself," Sora divulged quietly before adding on, "and Axel."

"Oh god," Tidus groaned. The blond rose his hand and rubbed his temples, as if suffering from a horrid headache. "If Axel was involved, I don't even want to know what you guys did," Tidus grunted in displeasure.

"Yeah, I don't think you would want to," Sora agreed and proceeded to laugh tautly. "H-how was your first class, anyhow?"

"Eh, I already had two this morning," Tidus burbled with tedium. "The year's going to be boring, I can tell you that already," Tidus informed Sora.

"Maybe," Sora said. "But with Axel here, I really doubt it'll be _that_ boring," Sora mentioned, a light smirk appearing. "The guy's insane… but in a good way."

"I suppose," Tidus stated and shrugged. "Either way, I better get to my next class. I'll see you later, Sora," Tidus called, arising from his placement on the bench. "Try to have fun with whatever class you have next." And with that, the blond bid the brunet farewell and headed off. What a day today was going to be.

**x**xxx**x**xx**xx**xxx**x**

Sora hurried into his second, and last, class of that day. The brunet figured he'd just space out, like he had done earlier that morning. However, when Sora entered the room and spotted his silver haired roommate, a bolt of joy rushed through Sora. Giddily, Sora marched up to where Riku was sitting (in the back tier). Sora softly placed his books down on the counter beside his friend, noticing that the silveret was taking a nap. With a smile, Sora sat down and watched him. He looked like an angel when he slept… how beautiful. Wait. Was Riku still infuriated over this morning?

Sora gulped and shifted his gaze away from Riku. Would Riku forgive him for making his work chaotic? Sora dubiously sighed, knowing that this would require a boat-load of grieving to obtain Riku's forgiveness. Perhaps he'd spend the entire class period writing for his fanfiction? Yes, that seemed like a logical idea. He needed to get that next chapter up soon before his fans ate him alive. Oh the wonders of yaoi fanfiction…

"Sora?" Riku groggily asked, his head rising from its placement in his arms.

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed, attempting to keep his voice down to a low whisper so that lingering ears would not eavesdrop on their conversation. "I didn't mean to disrupt you!" Sora made known, frantically waving his hands back and forth at the tired male.

"I was just sleeping," Riku countered groggily, raising his pale hand to rub his eyes. "Hrm… has class started?" the silver haired male wondered, sleepily looking over to his brunet friend, curiosity gleaming in his expressive eyes.

"Not yet," Sora answered, relieved that Riku wasn't mad. But what about- "I'm sorry for this morning, Riku," Sora said, expressing his utmost regret. "I didn't Axel was going to do that and it seemed really funny at the time! He saw it on the internet and figured he'd brighten up our first day back and--," Sora rambled hysterically.

Riku raised his hand to silence his flustered friend. "I'm not mad anymore. At least, not at you. I'm not a morning person as it is," he explained and leaning his chin against his folded arms that rested upon the table. Sea-green eyes stared up at the blanched Sora, almost amused.

"Oh," Sora answered, relieved again. "It won't happen again," Sora promised in a whisper. "I didn't mean to make you mad."

"You apologize a lot," Riku pointed out, his eyes flickering with entertainment. "I like that about you," Riku divulged, offering a brilliant smile at Sora that made the brunet shiver. "You're so modest," he went on to say, glancing around the crowded classroom.

"Thank you," Sora answered simply and shifted in his seat, attempting to get comfortable. After a moment of silence, Sora asked, "Are you excited about your date with Naminé tonight?"

"Yeah," replied Riku, looking back over to Sora. "We started off on a bad foot today, though," Riku remarked, rubbing his head, trying to vanquish the headache that was plaguing him.

"Over what?" Sora asked, sincerely concerned for his friend. It was odd to see Riku worked up or even _worried_ about something. Riku seemed like the type of person that never had to worry about anything. Things just came naturally to him, so seeing Riku flustered over _something_, especially Naminé, at once struck Sora as peculiar.

"Well…" Riku drawled, shrugging his shoulders. _He's my best friend. I can tell him this sort of thing. Of course I can._ "I asked her if she wanted to have sex," Riku stated as bluntly as he knew how to. The blanched look Sora gave him didn't ease Riku's nerves. "She said she wasn't ready and that I was rushing things, apparently," Riku groaned and then proceeded to whack his head against his textbook.

"Riku…?" Sora asked, a bit alarmed at Riku's sudden actions.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't mind waiting at all. It's just… every relationship I've been in either ended from the lack of sex or shit and here I am, offering it and she refuses, and, _fuck_… Why do I have such bad luck?" Riku demanded, looking to Sora for a plausible answer.

"I'm sorry," Sora said, frowning at his distressed friend. "I'm sorry Naminé isn't angry over you asking. Maybe she's even flattered…?"

"She's not going to want to be alone with me now," Riku explained, shaking his head. "Once you ask a girl if they want to have sex, they won't look at you in the same way. She'll be afraid that I'm going to pull something. Fuck, Sora. Why did I have to mess this up?" Riku looked to Sora with sudden fear.

"Riku, I'm sure you didn't mess this up," Sora argued, shaking his head. "She doesn't seem like that kind of person. She'll understand. You're over thinking things."

"Maybe…" Riku answered, offering a hopeful look to Sora. "Maybe I just need to calm down… Yeah…Thanks, Sora."

Sora beamed and glanced back at his notebook, watching out of the corner of his eye as Riku settled back down into his arms, staring ahead at the blackboard with a serious look, as if mulling quite a few things over. "You're welcome," Sora whispered under his breath. And this was only the beginning, as it seemed. Only the beginning of what was to come.


	4. first tears

_sorry for the wait--was focusing on getting by chance cranked out. the un-beta'd version will be up first and shortly after the corrected one, so ignore grammar errors for now :D Uhm, I loved writing this chapter and you can see plot development and character development! So... enjoy!_

* * *

**Unwritten**

It was odd. When Sora was confused or depressed he always seemed to write his stories better. However, today seemed to contradict that statement. It was his second day of college and Riku was _already_ moody. Sora figured that Riku just had to deal with his problems with Naminé and that he'd be back to himself soon. Though, it was a bit weird to see Riku in such a sour mood. The silver haired male barely said two words to Sora when they returned yesterday from class. Now, the second day of college starting, Sora was determined to make the best of it. No more getting Riku pissed at him. No more chances to make his best friend question their friendship. Nope. Not at all.

Still, being in his dorm room _alone_ while Riku was at work seemed a bit lonely. The brunet would have gone to visit Riku at work, but after his and Axel's 'little stunt' the day prior, Sora figured he was banished from Burger King from here on out. Now, being all alone in his dorm for another two hours before his first class, Sora figured he'd give Kairi another call. After all, she was his _girlfriend_ and what better way to pass your time than speaking to the one you loved?

Sora reached for the phone and quickly dialed in Kairi's number as he remained cross-legged on the bed. The teen propped the phone up to his ear before hearing a murmured greeting from his girlfriend. "Hey, Kairi!" Sora stated jovially.

"S-sora?" she stammered, sounding a bit uneasy about that knowledge. "H-how are you?" she asked, her tone a bit rushed and breathless.

"Good! Actually…really bad, I lied… Riku is really angry at me lately and I'm worried that his girlfriend and him are going to break up. And then my other friend Axel and I did something stupid yesterday which ticked Riku off more and oh god! I don't want to lose one of my best friends!" Sora divulged in a ramble as his hands desperately clung to the phone. This was his _only_ lifeline.

"That's … _nice_," Kairi answered, her last word sounding more of a breathless sigh than anything else. The red-head cleared her throat and shakily said, "Uh…Sora. Can I call you back?"

"Kairi! I really need you right now! I need to know what to do!" Sora begged, shaking his head back and forth. If anyone was going to help him through his friendship dilemmas, it was going to be Kairi. Kairi wasn't only his girlfriend but his best friend so she was expected to help him through these rough patches…right? Or was she just going to make matters worse?

"Sora…now's not a good _t-time_," Kairi slurred, a small gasp ending her sentence. The red-head whispered something harsh before returning her attention back to the phone. "Not a goodtime at _all_."

"Please, Kairi?" Sora pleaded and then froze. In the background of the conversation was another person's voice. Someone… familiar. But who? "Who's there with you?" Sora asked, sounding a bit more defensive than he would have liked.

"N-no…._one!_" Her last word was a mixture between a moan and a stunned gasp. Sora then barely made out a harsh murmured, "_Hayner_."

"W-what?" Sora demanded. Uneasily, the brunet strained to hear what the pair were discussing on the other end of the conversation. "Hayner's there?" Sora's mind began to reel as his brain slowly put everything together. The breathless tone… the gasps … the shortness of the conversation… oh god. "Hayner's there?!"

"Sora… it's not what it sounds like," Kairi attempted but cut herself short at the end when her breath hitched, sounding undeniably pleased. "Can I…call you back?" she requested, more so panting the question than speaking it.

"Don't bother," Sora stated resentfully, his heart aching as he finally put two and two together. Kairi had started seeing Hayner _far_ before this conversation, hadn't she?... "Don't bother even calling me ever again…"

"Sora!—"

"Just leave me alone," Sora whispered painfully, about to hang up when he heard a shuffling noise. Within seconds, the gasping and soft slurs stopped.

"Sora," said a new, masculine voice. Sora visibly winced. Oh great. _Hayner_.

"What do you want from me other than Kairi?!" Sora demanded as his voice cracked. The brunet was trying to sound tough but in his heart he was shattering. Breaking down. He was losing his first love and it stung so badly. Kairi was cheating on him? Good god. Why did something bad always seem to happen?!

"Don't be mad at Kairi, please. This isn't her fault," Hayner said in defense of his own twisted reasoning.

"How is it not?! She's cheating on me with _you_. How is that not her fault?!" Sora felt a few tears slip from his eyes as he hugged his free arm close to his body, wanting nothing more to slam the phone down and end the twisted conversation. "I don't ever want to speak to her again! I thought she was my friend! If she wanted to break up with me she should have _said_ something! Not went behind my b-back and," Sora said, towards the end breaking down into an array of tears.

"Sora…Fine. If you don't want to speak to Kairi anymore, then don't. I'm sure she won't be that bothered. If you want to handle this like a crybaby, do that. I don't have time for this and neither does Kairi. Goodbye, Sora." And with that, Hayner hung up the phone.

Sora tensed and dropped his own phone onto the bed, ignoring the blaring sound of the dial tone. Questions soon began to plunder through his mind. Why would Kairi, of all people, do that? Was the distance really that much of an inconvenience for her? Did she constantly need affection? Did she really love Hayner all along? How could she so heartlessly end their friendship and cheat on him? How could she allow Hayner to be so shallow and yell at him? How could two people be so damn heartless?

Sora closed his laptop, ignoring the low battery window flashing on his screen. Instead of plugging it in, the brunet moved it silently off the bed and curled up, eyes widened. Kairi and him were supposed to stay together forever. They were supposed to have kids, grow old, and live together. College wasn't supposed to break them up. No. The distance was supposed to strengthen their bond and bring them closer. Sora had designed his whole life around Kairi, never once passing another glance to another man in fear of being unfaithful. And now. Now here was Kairi, cheating with _Hayner_.

Sora emitted a pained whimper as he laid there, his eyes stinging from having cried. The brunet wasn't sure how long he laid there in denial before he finally mustered up the courage to get out of bed. When he did, Sora grabbed his belongings and headed out of the dorm room down towards the café, figuring that he'd just eat his sorrows away.

The first step in healing was forgetting, right? If not, then that was still what Sora was going to do. Right now, the brunet needed something—anything—to take his mind off his red-haired ex who he had loved with his entire heart.

**x**xxx**x**xx**x**xxx**x**xxx**xx**

Sora wasn't that much of a coffee person. The brunet preferred flavored drinks and teas over the dark coffee. But today was an exception. The brunet teenager ordered up a café vanilla drink from the campus' café and brought it to a table nestled in the corner. Right now, the brunet figured that eating alone would do him some good. It would allow him some time to reflect on his relationship with Kairi. So that's exactly what he was doing. Eating a sandwich and frozen coffee-drink in the corner of the festive café _alone_. Never before had he felt so damn _lonely_.

_Maybe I didn't give Kairi the attention she deserved. Maybe I should have tried harder to get her to come up here for college instead. Or maybe I should have gone to her college instead…Maybe she hated me for picking Riku over her… But she knew. She knew that I wanted to see him. So why would she do this to me?_ Sora wondered painfully, stirring a spoon around in the frozen liquid before him.

_Maybe I said something wrong? Maybe I should have done what Riku did… offer her more. But… I couldn't do that. I'm… not ready to do those things, I think? At least, I wasn't with Kairi. Maybe we should have jus stayed friends. Maybe it was wrong to date her. God, why are there so many maybes and so little certain things?_

Sora idly took a sip of his drink as his stomach churned. Today was going to be a long day, he already sensed it. The brunet had figured, at the least, his relationship would last until the New Year but no. It was already over after the first day. Now, starting the second day, he was single and depressed. What a great first impression to the world…

_Maybe if I beg and plead and grovel she'll rethink things. Maybe if I tell her I love her she'll dump Hayner and come back to me…god, what am I saying?...She cheated on me and I'm acting like the one who did something wrong…_Sora thought as he rubbed his temples, attempting to fight off a vicious headache.

Right now all Sora wanted was to go back to bed. Sleep seemed like the best possible solution to his racing conscience. He would give _anything_ to be back-home. _Anything_. Any amount of money! Sora's thoughts were cut short when he felt a hand make contact with his shoulder. Stunned, Sora swiveled his head around to meet a pair of viridian eyes. "Axel!?" Sora squeaked, staring up at the red-head.

"How long have you been here?" Axel wondered as he stared down at the disconcerted brunet. When Sora did not answer, the red-head peered down at Sora's scant remains of a sandwich and drink. "Considering you already ate and drank a Grande… I assume you've been here for awhile. What's up?"

Sora sighed and gestured to Axel, beckoning him to take the seat across from him at the table. With feline grace, the red-haired male sat down and laced his fingers under his chin. "Now Sora, are you going to tell me or am I going to have to force it out of you?" the curious red-head wondered.

"Axel, it's nothing. I promise," Sora lied as he shook his head back and forth, fingering the empty cup in front of him. "I'm _fine_," Sora reiterated.

"Don't look it," Axel said unrelentingly. The red-head reached across the table and scooped Sora's chin up into his palms. The red-haired male snickered when he felt Sora tense within his grasp. "Now, tell me," Axel drawled.

"I'd rather keep it to myself," Sora admitted tenaciously. The brunet's blue eyes narrowed as Axel's grip repudiated to fall away. "Can you let me go? Please?" Sora tossed in with growing impatience. "I don't feel comfortable…"

"I won't let go until you tell me," Axel resonated with an increasing grin.

"Fine!" Sora snorted in annoyance. "My girlfriend cheated on me, okay?!"

Sora's chest rapidly inflated and deflated over and over. Icy blue eyes stared dejectedly at sharp green. No words were said as Sora tore his face away from the red-haired male's grasp. Desponded, Sora looked off to the right, attempting not to break down into tears on the spot.

"Whoah," Axel vocalized with lifted brows. "She _cheated_ on you? God, that's low. Oh man, I'm sorry, Sora!" Axel hurriedly said.

Before Sora had time to answer dishearteningly, a pair of arms were flung around his neck, almost sending him flying backwards off his chair. The brunet squeaked and straightened up in his chair upon realizing that Axel had just ran across the table and had begun to hug him unbelievably tightly. Sora squeaked unbelievably loudly and flailed his arms about. "Axel! _What_ are you doing?"

"Trying to comfort you!" Axel explained and tightened his rigid grip on the brunet teenager. Sora jostled about, attempting to break the death-grip but in the end failed. "Relax, _So-ra_."

Sora stiffened. "I am relaxed," he mumbled and dejectedly look off to the side.

"Oh no, you aren't," Axel argued indefatigably, jabbing Sora's nose in defiance.

"Yes, I am!" Sora reaffirmed with a sharp nod. Without another word Sora lifted his tired limbs into the air and began to pry Axel's arms off of him. "Let me _go_," Sora groaned tirelessly.

"Here, let me cheer you up at least," Axel reasoned and finally allowed his grip around Sora to fall away.

The brunet quickly took an intake of air and lifted his hand into the air to feel around his neck, as if making sure his head was still attached. Weakly, the blue-eyed brunet looked over to Axel who was standing beside him, bearing a rather suspicious look. Sora blinked thrice and cautiously gripped the bottom of his chair, just incase the man decided to lunge at him again.

"Would _you_ like come to the party in my tummy, Sora?" Axel inquired as he pointedly rubbed his stomach, waggling his eyebrows quite suggestively.

Sora blanched. "Axel… that's getting old and redundant."

Axel chortled and slapped his hand down onto Sora's shoulder. The brunet produced a startled noise before staring confusedly up at the red-head. "Axel, Sora warned.

"Here," Axel said stubbornly. "If _that_ doesn't cheer you up then I'll _dance_ for you," Axel stated nonchalantly and let go of Sora. A smirk folded onto his lips when he noticed the gape Sora was currently sporting.

With a chuckle, Axel moved away from Sora and lifted both his arms. Within two seconds, the redhead had begun to break dance around the room, singing _something_ that Sora couldn't understand. The brunet stared at Axel with a look of ultimate humiliation. Blue eyes quickly looked away, watching as others in the café stared at Axel with curiosity and amusement. Apparently Sora was the only one that found it weird for Axel to be doing such. With a heavy sigh, Sora looked back to Axel who had begun to slither around the room, his arms flailing in an interpretive motion.

"Axel, I'm not even going to ask," Sora stated weakly.

"Am I keeping your mind off things?" Axel asked in the midst of spinning around insanely.

"Not really," Sora answered with a sigh and then squeaked once more when he realized that Axel was repetitively thrusting his pelvic. "Axel!" Sora hissed, a blush covering his cheeks. "Are you _insane_?"

"That's what they call me," Axel chuckled amusedly and continued bouncing around merrily. The redhead made his way back to Sora and snagged his hand. Sora yelped as Axel yanked Sora off his chair and into a standing position. Cheerfully, Axel snagged both of Sora's wrists and began hoisting Sora's arms in the air, then back down, and then up again. "Come on So_ra_."

"Lunatic!" Sora chirped and tried to hide the embarrassment as he attempted to wiggle free of his friend's dancing grasps. All right, so maybe his mind _was_ off Kairi at the moment but embarrassment wasn't any better!

Things were going horridly and then they just got worse. Out of nowhere Axel shrieked a shrill yell and dropped Sora's wrists as if they had been on fire. Sora blinked in sheer confusion before Axel lunged at Sora and sent both their thin bodies crashing onto the café floor.

"Axel!" Sora yelled as his back made contact with the café tile. Sora groaned in despair as Axel shouted about a spider. Weakly, Sora watched as someone crushed the small insect, allowing Axel to take a deep sigh of relief.

"Can you get off me now?" Sora requested with an exasperated sigh.

"Su—" Axel began and turned his head quickly to the right to look down at the brunet who he was currently crushing with his body weight. However, the moment he had turned his head, Sora had looked up. And this ironic turn of events caused both male's lips to brush against one another's.

Sora froze as his eyes snapped open, staring wildly at Axel who made no movement. They laid there for a few moments, oblivious to the stares they were receiving. Sora slowly made an attempt to separate their lips but he found that Axel was actually _kissing_ him.

_I… What is he doing?! I just broke up with Kairi?! What does he take me for!... What… It kinda…feels nice though… And it's… not like we're…dating…But a kiss is supposed to be special and! Axel!_ Sora mentally hollered as Axel brushed their lips together, his hand slipping into Sora's brown hair as he remained pinning Sora to the floor.

_Axel… He…_ Sora thought as his eyes slid closed. Without really realizing it, Sora returned the feather light kiss. Of course the moment Sora reciprocated, an angered yell sounded through the café. _What?_ Sora at once yanked his head away from Axel's and lazily glanced around at the people who were staring at them.

"W-what was that?!" Sora stammered and pushed Axel off his chest. The redhead rolled off Sora and onto the floor with a thud (apparently Axel was too enthralled with the earlier kiss to care that he had just got shoved away).

Sneers were shot his way and Sora at once shivered at this. Back home, only Selphie and Kairi had known that he liked boys. And now all these people knew… unless he could pull it off as an accident. Then no one would know. No one would have to know

"What are you all staring at? It was just an accident!" Sora yelled in frustration and turned his head to grimace at the onlookers. At once the crowd dispersed, leaving Sora in the middle of the café on his hands and knees. A small tear slipped from the corner of Sora's eye as he nearly hyperventilated.

"Whoah…" Axel stated as he stared at Sora's outburst. "Didn't know you had it in you," Axel muttered and glanced over at the shivering Sora a few feet away from him. A frown at once formed on the spontaneous man's lips. "You okay, Sora?"

"I'll be fine, Axel. You just… caught me by surprise and… and I wasn't expecting that and it was an accident and stuff and…" Sora whimpered and stared down at the floor, resisting the urge to break down in confusion. Fumbling, Sora got to his feet and slumped his trembling body into it. At once Sora banged his head down against the flat surface of the table in despair.

"Listen, Sora, I'm sorry," Axel attempted as he cautiously made his way over.

"Forget about it, Axel. It's…fine. I'm not mad at you," Sora responded despondently. "Just please don't tell Riku about this," Sora murmured emptily as he kept his forehead pressed against the table.

"God, why would I do something stupid like that?"

"Thanks…" Sora murmured. "I didn't know you could trip, fall, and kiss someone. I thought that stuff only happened in ninety-nine cent romance novels."

"Well, they _are_ based on real-life so I suppose those things can happen," Axel remarked weakly and poked Sora's shoulder. "Hey… I'm really sorry, okay? I just… You know. Spur of the moment. You're cute. You're into guys. You were single, I was single. You were in desperate need of cheering up. You needed some quick rebound action and I was there sooo," Axel said and then cleared his throat.

"I know, Axel," Sora whispered and shook his head. "I know you were just trying to cheer me up. You don't need to apologize."

"I feel like an ass, though," Axel pointed out and frowned down at the brunet. "Want me to take you out for ice cream or something to get your mind off everything?"

"No thank you," Sora murmured and quietly got to his feet, hugging his arms tightly to his body. "I'm just going to go back to my dorm room."

Axel sighed and gave a nod. "All right, Sora. See you around."

Sora nodded and made his way out of the café with a throbbing headache. Axel's kiss was nice it was just… his mind was too enthralled by Kairi.

**x**xxx**x**xx**x**xxx**x**xxx**xx**

The moment Sora's dorm room door closed the brunet made a beeline for his bed. Within two minutes Sora had curled up on his bed with a box of tissues and began crying his soul out. The brunet had refused to cry in front of Axel and a group of strangers but now that he was alone he was free to cry until his eyes burned. Which they were already starting to do, just great. The brunet sobbed into the tissue and blew his nose repeatedly. Not even yaoi fanfictions could cheer the brunet up. Right now all Sora wanted was Kairi back. His heart ached for her, but in odd ways.

_Somehow I managed to screw things up with so that she's not even my friend… Somehow I made Kairi not love me anymore and so she cheated on me with Hayner because I wasn't enough… How could she cheat on me?… W-why does she feel like this?_ Sora whimpered and shook his head violently, at once placing the blame onto his own shoulders. After all, Sora was quite good at that.

Sora's head snapped up when he heard the room door being unlocked and then opened. Sora winced and then looked downward in apparent shame, his eyes glued to the bed and the colony of used tissues that surrounded his body.

"Sora," Riku stated as he calmly closed the door behind him. The silveret stared in surprise when he noticed the collection of wet tissues that circled around Sora's small body. A frown appeared on Riku's face. "…you weren't crying, were you?"

"I'm fine," Sora lied and quickly began flicking the tissues under his pillow. Blue eyes remained cast downwards, as if they were to meet Riku's he'd spill out his entire soul, and sadly, at that moment, Sora didn't even know what he felt.

"Oh geez, not the 'I'm fne' lie," Riku teased and nudged the tissues away and off the floor with his fingers, frowning at how disgusting they were. "Now, are you going to tell me or am I going to have to force it out of you?" he wondered.

"Maybe I don't wanna talk about it," Sora replied curtly, shrugging his shoulders as he cringed at the sight of his friend moving the tissues. "I mean, it's my right to keep things to myself, right?" Sora looked expectantly up at Riku.

"And it's my right as your best friend to talk you through your problems. I mean," Riku sat down, "we've always talked about things before. Now that we've met, you don't want to anymore?" Riku mocked a frown and nudged Sora in the shoulder gently.

"Riku, you're…an idiot," Sora settled upon as he sniffled a bit and hugged his arms tightly to his body. "I just need rest, that's all."

"Tell me," Riku reiterated and jabbed Sora in the shoulder once more.

"You're stubborn," Sora mumbled and buried his face into his pillow. "Come on, Riku," Sora said, being muffled by the pillow. "I just wanna be left alone and sleep. Go do your work or something. Bugging me is useless."

Riku pulled the purple pillow away from Sora's face and smirked down at him. "I can't hear when you talk behind that thing." Riku casually tossed the pillow over his shoulder. "Now, Sora, if you don't tell me I'll have to resort to drastic measures."

"Such as?" Sora wondered lamely, arching an eyebrow at his older friend.

"Such as bribing you with a latte or something," Riku replied suavely and nudged Sora in the shoulder. "Now spill your heart out, kid, or I'll tell the campus that you sleep with a stuffed bear."

Sora blanched. "Riku!" he huffed. "It's a stuffed _cat_, okay? Second, I only sleep with it because my great grandma gave it to me and it's very special! And! And lastly! I'm not telling you no matter what you do so uh… just drop it!" Sora nodded firmly.

And Riku instantly knew. "This is about Kairi, isn't it?"

_And partially Axel kissing me by accident…_ "How did you…" Sora drawled in disbelief as his eyes widened at Riku's superb guessing skills. "Did Axel tell you?!"

"I just guessed. You seemed really upset and I figured it had something to do with her," Riku answered simply and then paused abruptly. "…What happened?"

Sora lowered his gaze, the feeling and realization hitting him once more. "She dumped me. Or more like cheated on me with another guy. And I feel like a complete moron for telling other people this even though they're my friends and they have the right to know. It's just… I feel like a crybaby or something and I don't know, Riku."

Riku frowned deeply at this and compassionately placed a hand onto the brunet's shoulder. "Hey, I can understand why you're upset," Riku whispered caringly and tugged Sora in for a hug.

At once, Sora relaxed and crushed his body up against Riku's, burying his face into Riku's chest. His hands flew out and clung onto his best friend's shirt. "It hurts, Riku," he murmured painfully. "It hurts so much. Why didn't she tell me?" he sobbed, choking on his own words over and over.

"I don't know, Sora," Riku answered regretfully and lifted his arms into the air, nimble fingers briskly sweeping through the younger's hair. "You shouldn't cry over her. She's not worth it."

"But it hurts," Sora said with growing nerves, his body pressing closely to the other male's.

"I'm not going to say I understand, because frankly I hate when people say that. But I'm going to tell you that I can _begin_ to understand your pain and I'm here. I mean, I'm your best friend," Riku murmured with a weak smile as he brushed his fingers through Sora's hair once more.

"I thought I loved her, Riku," Sora wept, his body going through countless convulsions. "Riku, why did this have to happen?!"

"Maybe you guys weren't meant to be?" Riku suggested, frowning as he rested his chin on top of Sora's spikes. "Come on, buddy. You can move on. I know you can." And if Sora didn't have his face in Riku's chest he would have seen the _beautiful_ grin Riku had given him.

"Everyone always says that to people when they break up," Sora grumbled in between sobs. His crying was slowly ceasing as his hands loosened their intense grip on Riku's shirt.

"Well, it's the truth," Riku argued and sighed, fingers now massaging his friend's back.

"Why do you have to be so smart?" Sora complained, his sobbing now completely down. The brunet sniveled a bit before pulling away from Riku's chest. "I have a headache," Sora complained as he embarrassedly looked away from Riku, quickly swiping at his tear-soaked cheeks.

"Crying can do that to you," Riku chuckled and allowed his arms to fall away from Sora. Weakly, he ruffled Sora's hair one last time.

"You tell anyone I was crying and I'll hurt you," grumbled Sora as he continued to rub away the tears.

Riku frowned. "Everyone cries, Sora. It's human. It's no big—"

"Is so!" Sora groaned in aggravation. The brunet flung his arms up in the air, almost flailing them about like a fish out of water. "Haven't you heard that saying,_ Riku?_ Boys don't cry!"

"That saying is so cliché," Riku remarked with a glint in his eyes. "It's stupid. And incorrect, so there."

"I've never seen _you_ cry," Sora retorted, scrunching his nose up to appear intimidating—frankly, it didn't work. "If crying is so natural why haven't I seen you cry yet?! Or are you too tough?!"

"Sora, deep breaths. Calm down," Riku urged, repositioning his right hand on the brunet's tense shoulder, lightly giving it a massage. "I haven't had a reason to cry yet, but I'm sure I will sooner or later. And I won't be ashamed to cry in front of you, okay?"

"…Fine," Sora heaved in utter defeat, eyes fluttering shut at the relaxing massage.

"Now, how about I order us some Chinese?" Riku suggested as he continued rolling his palm into Sora's shoulder, hoping to bring his brunet friend _some_ form of makeshift peace.

Sora shifted a bit. "But don't you have a date with Namine tonight? You should go…don't stay here on account of me."

"Nonsense," Riku retorted with a smirk, continuing his ministrations. "I'll call and say something came up. She'll understand. Chinese or pizza?"

Sora sighed, finding no point in arguing when in all honesty he _wanted_ Riku to stay here. "Chinese."

Riku grinned victoriously and patted Sora on the shoulder before stating, "It's going to be a long night, just so you know."

Sora laughed, knowing in his heart, it _was_ going to be. But at least he had Riku here to talk it out…and some good Chinese food…


	5. first plans

_next chapter. sorry it took so long. my laptop has died and I lost all of my new rikusora story, murder me slow, which was for nanowrimo. i'm rewriting it, though, so look for it in the future. Let's see what else... I'll have a new laptop after Christmas so updates should be faster and whatnot. Uhm...this chapter is a bit of foreshadowing and whatnot. I really enjoyed writing this. Well, enjoy and leave a review please._

* * *

**Unwritten**

"My first kiss?! God, Riku! It was a mess!" Sora confessed between mouthfuls of noodles and rice.

The two teenagers sat side by side on the brunet's bed. Sora had, in his lap, carton of shrimp fried rice along with a pair of chopsticks. Riku rested beside him, feet dangling over the edge of the bed, with his own food beside him. The smell of bad Chinese food and jubilant laughter filled the dorm room: oh the wonders of college life.

The silver haired male (deemed sexgod) smirked at Sora's response to his question. "How was it a mess? Did you miss or something?" he asked, mildly interested in how such a simple ordeal such as a kiss could be considered 'a mess'.

Sora's face fell at Riku's accusation. "Excuse me? I didn't /miss/!" _But it wasn't with Kairi. It was an experiment, with a guy … _"It was just awkward/okay/?" Sora groaned, taking a large spoonful of seasoned rice to compensate for the nerves coursing through his lithe body.

Riku sneered. "All kisses have a bit of awkwardness to them," he explained. "Just because it was /awkward/ doesn't mean it was a mess."

Sora sighed and reached to his right, easily placing his dinner on the bureau. "Our hands were everywhere, though!" Sora complained, shielding his eyes from Riku's intense gaze. Sora was, admittedly, afraid that his eyes would expose the inevitable truth.

"Were your hands down her shirt? On her breasts? On her ass?" Riku wondered, a glint of feral amusement crossing into his vibrant eyes. It was amazing how Riku could not read between the lines when the truth was staring him down.

"N-no," Sora stuttered, spewing a noodle out of his mouth (which landed on Riku's chin, ironically). Sora blanched instantly. "Sorry!" he exclaimed hurriedly.

"It's okay," Riku replied with ease, flicking the noodle away simply. Then a pause. "Then where _were_ your hands?" A twinkle of mischief appeared in his eyes this time.

"Uh…" Deep breath and then…" Hair. Then back…then like stomach and stuff. All over the place…" Sora trailed off, a cute blush forming on his tanned cheeks.

"How adorable," Riku teased, lightly elbowing his best friend in the side. "My little Sora was adventurous on his first kiss." A smirk proceeded.

Sora groaned, loudly chewing. "Shut up, Riku."

Riku chuckled and resumed eating, glad that he was getting Sora's mind off Kairi, even just for this brief moment. A sad Sora was something he /really/ did not enjoy whatsoever. Nope, not at all.

"Weren't you supposed to call Naminé?" Sora wondered as he lazily eyed his now empty food-carton. Oh well. It was good while it lasted, anyway.

Riku paled and then connected his palm with his forehead. "Shit," he said angrily under his breath. Without warning, Riku pushed his body off the bed and stalked across the dorm room. With forced grace, Riku snagged the phone and dialed in his girlfriend's number in less than five seconds. Sighing, Riku propped the phone up to his ear and awaited her to answer.

"Hey, Naminé…Yeah. Yeah. Sorry. Something came up. What? Yeah. Sorry. Yeah. Dorm-room. Yeah. Tomorrow? Okay. See you then." Riku hung up and tossed the phone back onto the receiver with a frown.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked quietly, noting Riku's sudden frown.

"She's pissed," Riku explained with a sigh, pushing his silver hair behind his ear before making his way back to Sora's bed. Silently, the older teen sat back down. "Don't worry though. She understood. I'm all yours for tonight, Sora."

Sora's little, innocent mind couldn't _help_ but think of that statement in a provocative sense. _Eek!_ "Thanks, Riku," Sora said with an appearing smile.

"See? I like it when you smile," Riku informed Sora with a brilliant grin of his own. "Now, where were we before you reminded me of my duties?" the silveret asked, gracefully leaning back against Sora's bed, his body laying flat.

The brunet stared down at Riku, watching his piercing emerald gaze stare right back up at him. Kind of like a reflection … but different. "First kisses," Sora explained with a soft blush and then appeared scandalized. "Wait! You never told me about yours!"

Riku chuckled apprehensively. "I was hoping you would overlook that…"

"I'm not _that_ easily distracted, Ri-ku," Sora pouted.

Riku chortled and folded his arms to his chest, making sure not to knock any empty Chinese food cartons off the bed. "My first kiss was…okay I suppose. Though I sort of ended up tripping. My hands though. They were in the right spot. The _waist_." Riku smirked and Sora frowned. "All in all, it was okay. No tongue. Just a quick kiss."

"Geez. How uneventful," Sora mocked and stuck his tongue out at Riku.

"Well, you just over exaggerated yours," Riku retorted, the smirk remaining.

Sora rolled his eyes. "Shut up," he reiterated and looked away, a healthy blush of sheer embarrassment drawing itself onto his cheeks. The blushed remained for a few moments before Sora suddenly averted his gaze from Riku's, hot tears pricking at the corner of his eyes. Blue eyes snapped shut then, refusing to let the foolish tears hit the surface. A strangled sob slipped from Sora's lips and he, quickly in response, slapped his hand over his mouth to cease all of the noises.

"Sora?" Riku asked, worriedly sitting up.

Sora bit down on his hand, attempting to stop the inevitable stream of tears that was about to begin. Sora tensed and stiffened at once when he felt Riku's hand slide onto his shoulder. Then when he felt those tears _slide_ down his cheek, he quickly pulled away, further up the bed, at once.

"Sora…" Riku stated quickly, knowing that the few minutes Sora had gone without crying were just a blessing.

The silver-haired male sighed relentlessly and scooted along the expanse of the bed right after Sora, gently pushing containers off as he went. Right now, he didn't care about food spills or whatnot. All he cared about at this moment was the crying brunet he had known for _three_ years. His _best_ friend.

"Hey…" Riku cooed quietly, lifting his pale hand into the air. The male gently covered Sora's own hand (the one that was covering his mouth). Within moments, Riku's fingers curled around Sora's cold one, gently prying it away. Sora's hand fell without a fight, turning numb in Riku's unexpected hold.

"R-riku," Sora warned, freezing all the while.

"She's not worth your tears," Riku whispered all knowingly. Sparkling viridian eyes stared at his best friend, his warm fingers remaining on the cold digits. "I know it hurts, I don't doubt that it'll hurt for awhile. Sure, you can be sad. But crying won't solve anything."

Sora stiffened and eyed his friend's fingers with curiosity and befuddlement. "I …can't help but crying," Sora admitted, an ashamed look crossing onto his face. He kept his eyes cast low, not daring to look Riku in the eye.

"If you want to straighten things out with her, I'll hand you the phone," Riku offered with a small, but helpful nonetheless, smile crossing onto his dazzling features. "Would that help?"

Riku did not wait for an answer before he swung his body of the bed and traversed across the dorm-room towards the phone. A wave of uncertainty covered Sora entirely for that moment. Perhaps he would just call her tomorrow or the day after that. Was _now_ such a good idea?

"Riku…I don't think…" Sora stated cautiously.

Wearily, the brunet raised his arm, as if to deter Riku from what he was surely going to do. Before Sora had time to blink, however, Riku had /stolen/ Sora's cell phone and was currently dialing a number in from the address book…Wait a second… Sora paled at once and felt his throat go dry and then tighten. All his earlier tears dried at once. Oh /god/.

Riku smirked. "Hello, Kairi?"

More paling on Sora's part.

"Hey, it's Riku… Yeah. Well, I'm calling on behalf of Sora. Yeah… Yeah… Well, I'm kinda pissed."

"Riku!" Sora hissed angrily, lunging off the bed and towards his friend.

Both boys fell backwards onto the bed, Sora landing across the older who still had the phone propped to his ear. Riku's laugh resounded over the phone as he smirked up at Sora who had turned a scorching red. It was then when Sora begun to frantically grab for the phone, not bothering to realize that he was laying on top of his best—_attractive_—friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Riku said into the phone, eying Sora as he kept the phone out of the brunet's reach. "Now, explain to me why you would cheat on your best friend. Someone as _wonderful_ as Sora." Pause. "Don't even _try_ that excuse." Pause. "Yeah, I do." Pause. "How could you do that to him, though? You guys have known each other forever!" Pause. "Well, yeah, now he is, isn't he?" Pause. "Oh, _go to hell_. Call him back tomorrow when you're not in such a bitchy mood and he's not pissed." Riku promptly hung the phone up and looked over to the brunet who was still laying on top of him.

_Right_.

"Gonna move anytime soon?" Riku wondered, smirking up at the brunet who practically had him pinned to Riku's bed.

"You idiot! Why did you call her?!" Sora demanded as he quickly scampered off Riku's warm body. At once, the lithe brunet missed the warmth—it was inviting and oddly comforting.

"I was trying to get you guys to work things out," Riku explained, cautiously sitting up.

Sora remained sitting beside Riku, a scorching dark red. Blue eyes remained cast downwards, staring at the dorm-floor silently. Riku noticed Sora's lack of response immediately.

"Hey… you'll get through this," Riku reassured Sora, lightly hooking his arm around Sora's shoulders. "You'll get her back as your best friend. Maybe not your girlfriend… because, well, of what happened… but you'll talk to her again. Promise."

"She _cheated_ on me, Riku. How can I forgive someone for that?"

"…Forgive, just don't forget, got that?" Riku offered a brilliant smile and then proceeded to jab Sora's nose with his index finger. "It's late. I suggest we go to bed considering I have work tomorrow."

"Thanks, Riku," Sora whispered, wearily smiling. "…Really, thanks."

"Welcome," Riku responded and nudged Sora towards his own bed. "Go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning before I go to work."

"All right, goodnight, Riku," Sora called as he shifted under his sheets, not bothering to change into his nightclothes. He would just change in the morning.

"Night, Sora."

**x**xxx**x**xx**x**xxx**x**xxx**xx**

Somehow, in the middle of the night, around midnight to be precise, Sora had sleepwalked his way across the room and snuggled under the blankets beside Riku. The shivering brunet scooted close to the slumbering silveret, burying his tear-soaked, tanned face against the older's broad chest. The restless, horrid dreams ended and were replaced with calm, uneventful ones. Just for that moment, his heart felt at ease. And just for that moment he felt so damn _warm_.

**x**xxx**x**xx**x**xxx**x**xxx**xx**

Sora stirred awake when he felt an uneasy laugh enter his ears. The brunet scrunched his nose up as the blanket of sleep vanished. Wearily, blue eyes fluttered open, at once being greeted with a sea of aquamarine. Sora blinked slowly—too mentally exhausted to freak out that he had somehow ended up in his best friend's bed.

"Feeling any better?" Riku wondered quietly as he offered a weary smile down at the sleepy brunet.

Sora yawned and did nothing to move away from his friend's warmth. Comfort. He needed comfort. "A little…my eyes hurt from crying, though," Sora confessed with a dismal shrug of his skinny shoulders.

"You were crying in your sleep…" Riku pointed out quietly, his forced smile turning into a frown.

Sora shifted uncomfortably, averting his gaze to the right. "Did I keep you awake?" Sora wondered worriedly, his hands instinctively fiddling with the hem of the warm blankets. "I'm sorry if I did, Riku. Really sorry."

"It's okay," Riku stated sternly shaking his silver head. A weak smile appeared on Riku's lips as he reached out and brushed his nimble fingers through Sora's hair. "I was just glad that you got some sleep in general."

Sora stiffened and shivered at the unexpected touch. "Don't you have to get ready for work?"

"Yeah, but I'd rather stay here and make sure you're all right," Riku said and threaded his fingers once more through the brown locks of hair. "I'd let you come to work but you'd probably be bored senseless."

"Mmm…probably," Sora agreed as he yawned once again. "Here. Get up and get ready. I'll be fine, promise," Sora offered with yet another overwrought smile that was easily seen through. "Go on, Riku."

Riku sighed and pushed his body up and off the bed. The silveret gently eased his body up and then looked back at the brunet who was still on his bed. "Keep smiling, okay?"

Sora pretended to smile and nod. The moment Riku left the room and headed into the bathroom, the smile slipped clean away. Blue eyes flickered downwards as Sora pressed his hands idly down against the sheets. _Does he just feel bad for me? Does he feel obligated to cheer me up?_ Sora shrugged, yet again, and got off Riku's bed. Despite his throbbing headache and slightly burning eyes, Sora snagged his laptop from beneath the bed and brought it up onto his own bed.

Bleakly, Sora turned the machine on. Staring despondently at it, Sora began to glance around the dorm-room. Why did everything constantly remind him of Kairi? After a moment of pointless sighing, Sora turned his attention back to his laptop. He might as well get something written instead of sulking about like a hormonal teenager… which he was.

"Let's see…" Sora whispered under his breath as he opened up a blank, flashing word document. "Chapter five," he said as he typed the letters up and onto the screen.

'_Shuichi had no idea where Yuki had gone. The last time he saw the author was the night prior, smoking outside on the balcony, as silent as ever. The boy had ventured out to speak to the older but decided against it at the last moment. Speaking to him seemed like the worst idea at the moment. When Yuki was mad, it was just best to leave the blond alone.'_

Sora scratched behind his head and tapped his fingers idly on the keys. "I wonder if they'll fall in love," Sora mumbled to himself as his blue eyes remained glued to the blinking cursor. "Is it possible for two people to fall in love at random?"

"Maybe," Riku said as he exited the bathroom, glancing over at Sora with an amused look. The silveret returned, holding a white towel loosely between his fingers. "I mean, if they're meant to be they'll get together, right?"

Sora blushed darkly and looked up at Riku. "I was just rambling on…" he felt the need to state quickly.

"Sure you were," Riku stated simply and dropped the towel onto the bureau and waltzed over to the mirror. "I hate this uniform."

Sora lifted his gaze once more and eyed his friend. "It's okay…it could be worse, you know," Sora pointed out as he saved his current document and got off the bed.

Riku shrugged and stared at Sora by means of the mirror. "Hey…wanna catch a movie or something tonight after class?" Riku suggested with a meek smile.

Sora lit up instantly. "Really? That'd be nice!" Sora declared quickly and then cleared his throat. "I mean, sure, why not? I'm game."

Riku chuckled and turned around, idly tapping Sora on the nose. "Meet me back here and we'll go to dinner and then a movie? Boy's night out, sort of. Some male bonding time," Riku explained with a brilliant grin on his face. "My treat, of course."

"I can pay for myself," Sora argued, huffing as he folded his arms to his chest. "I'm not _helpless_."

"Never said you were," Riku answered and grabbed his bag with all of his class belongings in it. "I'll see you around five, all right?"

Sora nodded.

"Oh," Riku said, placing the bag gently onto his bed. Quickly, the silveret walked over to the dresser and snagged a blank sheet of paper along with a pen. Rapidly, the silveret scribbled down a few numbers and then promptly handed it to Sora. "That's my cell number, in case you need to get a hold of me during the day."

"Thanks," Sora replied graciously as he took the paper with the number etched upon it. "I'll try not to call and interrupt you during work, though."

"Nah, don't worry about it," Riku said, waving off Sora's worry as he recollected his things and headed towards the door. "Call if you need anything or if you just want to talk." Aquamarine eyes shimmered.

"Sure," Sora said quietly and nodded, holding the number a bit weakly.

"And Sora?"

Sora tilted his head to the side curiously.

"Feel better."

**x**xxx**x**xx**x**xxx**x**xxx**xx**

_And he was falling. Falling down so far. It was like he was falling from heaven, down to the fiery pits of hell. There was no landing on earth. Just a straight shot downwards. There was no time to breathe, either. All he was given was the ability to gasp for air, grasping for some form of life. He went from being blissful, excited, and happy to devastated, broken, and hopeless. And he was falling. Spiraling downwards._

_Down came the stones of support. Down came the buildings that he had once been familiar with. Down came the pebbles of the faces of the people he once knew. Down came the relationship he had once put his entire heart into. Down came the lies and truths. Down came the love that he so blindly gave. Down came his life, headed straight towards the ocean._

_Through the ocean he fell, arms flailing out as his legs jostled about the thick water. Through the heartbreak he fell. Through the deception, he fell. Through the good-times, he cried. Through the memories, he cherished. Through the sea, he went._

_And as he was falling, too lost in his own mind of the trivial things in life, a hand reached out. A ghostly, pale hand reached into the watery abyss, grabbing onto his own. A hand intertwined with his own and pulled his aching, soaking body up._

_Up from the watery grave he had almost condemned himself too._

_And that hand pulled his body back up to earth. And those eyes. They searched his soul, giving him hope. And those lips…they crashed onto his own, rendering him helpless once more as he was lulled into a submissive, beautiful state. And kiss he did. Kiss until his lips turned a new shade of blue. Kissed until he felt his heart bursting with newfound love._

_Kissed until he realized who he was kissing…_

_And scream, he did._

**x**xxx**x**xx**x**xxx**x**xxx**xx**

"Man, Sora. Sleeping during class. What kind of person are you? A loser?"

Sora snapped awake from his mid-day reverie turned dream. The brunet shook his head about, dismissing the remnants of sleep that so readily clung to his being. Blue eyes wandered up and met a pair of sharp green eyes. Green eyes…_The ones from my dream…_ he thought numbly. His mind still felt water-logged and his lips remained tingling from the kiss. His heart skipped a beat as he stared up at the man with a blush appearing onto his cheeks.

"Whoah, dude. What _are_ you staring at?" Axel demanded, tapping at the desk before Sora. The red-haired male snickered down at Sora. "What's with the dreamy look? Someone fantasying about our clinically straight sex god?"

Sora stared wildly up at Axel and then quickly looked off to the right. "No, Axel," Sora deadpanned, clenching his fists tightly to fight off the lingering feeling of that dream-kiss. "I'm tired, that's all. Didn't get much sleep last night."

"I see," Axel said simply and sat down on the edge of Sora's desk. The man's lanky form looked _quite_ appealing sitting there like that. "Though, sleeping during class isn't a good idea, kid. You'll fail. And trust me, it doesn't seem like a big deal now, but it will when time comes to graduate from college."

Sora's gaze wandered back to Axel, soaking in the man's words of wisdom like a water-deprived sponge. "I…understand that, but it's hard, Axel. I can't get her off my mind…" Though for the past half an hour I haven't even thought about her, Sora finished in his mind and then displayed a weak, fragile smile.

"Well, you're going through the denial stage of a breakup, it's only to be expected. You'll be fine soon, promise," Axel reassured Sora with a sloppy grin.

"Thanks, I think?" Sora said meekly, for some odd reason wanting to write more than ever. And by write, he more specifically desired to compose erotic, detailed make out scenes that caused him to curl his toes and blush like the fan boy he was.

"Want to go stalk the cashier-boy with me?" Axel wondered, hopping off the desk and turning to smirk suggestively at Sora. "We can ogle over his tight ass and then swoon. And when he turns to look we can pretend to be talking. Sound fun?"

"But…I don't really find him attractive," Sora argued, a frown appearing.

"Then you can watch _me_ ogle over him. You can just smile and nod to whatever I say. Come on, Sora," Axel said and began to promptly tug Sora from his seat in the back of the class. "You have an hour before your next class. Come on, it'll do you good!"

"Fine!" Sora caved in and stood up, eying Axel. "But please…don't grope him."

Axel smirked devilishly. "Where?"

"Anywhere!" Sora corrected quickly, waving his hands quickly in the air. Today was…going to be odd, he just knew it.

**x**xxx**x**xx**x**xxx**x**xxx**xx**

"Riku?... Where were you last night?"

"Like I said, I was at my dorm," Riku explained with a dreary yawn as he scribbled down the notes from the blackboard. Equations. Gag. The silveret sighed and quickly wrote down the numbers he saw, not really bothering to see if they made any sense. He would review his notes later, like he usually did. This class was mostly time with Naminé.

Naminé frowned and care freely wrote down her own notes. "I meant later, Riku. I tried calling later that night and you didn't answer your cell…" She trailed off and looked over worriedly to her boyfriend, her lips parted.

"Sorry…Sora was asleep and I didn't want to wake him," Riku explained in a grumble as he scratched the side of his head, not understanding why he was writing the same equation twice. Man, he was sure out of it today. Lack of sleep, mostly.

"You could have gone into the bathroom or hallway to talk…" Naminé reminded him, the frown growing as she bit her bottom lip this time.

Riku sighed and set down his pencil, turning to her. "Sora fell asleep on me. I didn't want to move him and risk him waking up. He had a hard night and I was surprised he actually got to sleep."

"Oh…" Naminé visibly flinched and turned her gaze back to her notes. "Sorry…"

"It's nothing…let's just forget about it," Riku murmured and continued writing down nonsensical things. "How was your night?"

"Okay," she answered softly, being vague.

"I see," Riku said just as simply.

"Are you still on for dinner tonight?" Naminé dared, her blue eyes dancing over to look at her boyfriend curiously.

Riku recoiled and swallowed thickly. "Fuck...Sorry, Naminé...I sort of promised Sora I'd take him to the movies and dinner…"

"Can't you guys reschedule?" Naminé pried hopefully, her eyes staring pleadingly at Riku. All she wanted was to spend time with the man she loved.

Riku shrugged. "Sora's going through a rough time and I think me canceling would make matters worse. I'm really sorry, babe. I'll make it up to you, I promise," Riku said and glanced over at his blonde girlfriend, his own frown now visible on his refined lips. "I really am sorry."

Naminé sighed, nodded, and then promptly returned to her notes, not daring to say another word to Riku that class.

**X**xxx**x**xx**x**xxx**x**xxx**xx**

"_Look_ at that heart-shaped ass! My lord, it should be illegal! And those thighs. Have mercy on me!" Axel swooned, leaning out of his seat from behind his table as he ogled over the cashier who had his back turned to Axel and Sora. Sora, in response, fidgeted a bit. "And look at the way he mixes those drinks. Good lord, he's either giving me a heart attack or an erection. I can't even tell."

Sora arched a brow. "Obsessive much?" Sora whispered uneasily, praying that the blonde cashier wouldn't turn around and hear them. The brunet really found nothing interesting about the blonde's body. Sure, he was handsome, but his body really did nothing for Sora.

"Come on, Sora!" Axel urged and nudged Sora in the gut. "Just say a compliment or something. Stop being a prude."

"But I don't like him!" Sora complained.

"Then compliment someone you _do_ like. Come on, I want to hear you talk dirty," Axel said, waggling his eyebrows at the brunet beside him as the rays of sun beamed in from outside, only adding to Axel's fake angelic appeal.

"…You have nice eyes?" Sora suggested softly, the dream replaying on infinite loop in his head.

"Why thank you, I—Wait a second! Does that mean little prude here _likes_ me?" Axel wondered, looping his arm around Sora's skinny shoulders. "That's _gold_ Sora." Axel then placed a flirtatious kiss to Sora's cheek. "I could just _eat you up_."

"I prefer that you didn't! Sora squeaked and blushed darkly at the affectionate kiss. "Do you do this to everyone, Axel?!" Sora complained, trying to edge away from the tight embrace.

"Nah, you're just special, kid. You just tickle my hipbone," Axel informed Sora, nuzzling Sora's cheek comically as he cackled under his breath. "You're just the remedy I was looking for for my lonely heart!" Axel chimed for no apparent reason.

Sora groaned. "You're… odd."

"Thanks," Axel replied simply and kissed Sora's cheek again before pulling away. "And you. You are submissive."

"Is that… a good thing?" Sora wondered, rubbing the spot where Axel had kissed him. Why did he kiss him again?

"Hell yes. Submissive gays are the best kind for predators like myself," Axel swooned and then snickered, completely forgetting about the cashier for that moment. "It's just the way of life!"

"I see," Sora whispered uncertainly and hunched his shoulders.

"So…putting that aside, do you wanna go catch a movie tonight or something? Just the two of us? Male-bonding time?" Axel suggested as he tilted his head flirtatiously at Sora, blinking rapidly as he eyed the brunet boy.

"I sort of promised that I would go tonight with Riku," Sora stated slowly, looking a bit uneasy.

"Then we'll all go together!" Axel proclaimed jovially. "You can sit in the middle!"

"…I…I suppose." Sora gulped.

Axel's eyes flickered deviously. "Then it's settled! I'll meet you at the theater two blocks down at eight with the sexgod. Be there on time, you kids. I don't want to have to come looking for you at your dorm and rip you guys apart. I'm not in the mood to see you guys doing each other like bunnies."

Sora shivered. "Trust me…you don't have to worry about that."

Axel sneered and then nodded. "So eight?"

"Eight," Sora agreed, feeling the ever-wonderful looming dread that always seemed to make itself present when _something_ was going to happen. Something…


	6. first dates

**_short chapter but much development. you'll see why. i hope you all will enjoy this chapter. it was a treat to write...and consider it a... small, christmas gift? yes. well, please leave a review!_

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_Unwritten_  
xxxx**x**xx**x**xxx**x**xxx**xx**

"I don't get it. I really don't. He…he used to be so loving and he'd do anything to spend time with me. He always scheduled things around our dates. He's never canceled. And now he's canceling date after date. Is something wrong with me?"

Namine folded her arms on the top of the table and then promptly leaned her chin down against them. Her pretty, light blue eyes danced up to meet Tidus' confused ones. A sigh escaped the blonde's lips as she parted her lips, appearing like she was about to speak, but in the end she did not. Instead, she watched Tidus intently, hoping that _some_ words of comfort would come flying out of his mouth. Anytime now. Please?

"Namine, there's nothing wrong with you," Tidus pointed out as he shifted uncomfortably in the café chair. For such a high-income school they really could use more comfortable _chairs_ for their, not only paying students, but _customers_. Oh well. No one's perfect—especially not the school system.

"Tidus…" Namine sighed and averted her gaze from the male's. "…I'm so scared of losing him," she admitted and then laughed despite herself. "I just…" her shoulders hunched up before she began drawing absently on the table with the pad of her index finger, "I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. He's…amazing and I don't to lose him. Ever," Namine concluded.

Tidus sighed. "I understand. You're not losing him, Nami, trust me. No one could _that_ easily let someone like you go," the blond explained with a helpful smile. A smile that radiated warmth and compassion. A smile that brightened up the dreary campus café and lightened the other blonde's moods.

"You wouldn't be lying to me, would you?" she asked, tilting her pretty head to the side as she surveyed Tidus' face with silence.

Tidus chuckled and nervously shook his head to the right. To the left. "Of course not. I'd never lie to you," he stated straightforwardly and offered another lustrous smile. It was picture-perfect, truly.

"Thank you," Namine responded sincerely and laced her skinny fingers together. "You know, you're the first person to ever say that to me," she whispered. "Not even Riku has said that…"

"I'm sure he means it, though. Every time he kisses you I'm sure he means to say it," Tidus suggested with a dim and rather melancholic feeling appearing in the pit of his stomach. He did his best to fight it off and continued grinning at Namine,

Namine raised her gaze to Tidus' with a tiny blush apparent on her cheeks. "You're quite the romantic, Tidus," she complimented in a gentle and rather maternal voice.

Tidus didn't dare to argue because he knew, deep down, that statement was true. Tidus was a Shakespeare and romantic at heart and, at times, was not afraid to show it. "Well, thank you then." A laugh was shared between the two students.

"So you're majoring in English?" Namine wondered as she attempted to yank her mind off her boyfriend who was still missing in action. Where was he? This would be the third date he had blown off…a mini date… more so just lunch, but nonetheless a _date_. It meant a lot to her.

"Yep," said Tidus. "And you're majoring in?..."

"Law," Namine answered with a swift nod. "Corporate law, to be exact."

"That's cool," replied Tidus as he leaned back in his chair. The blond's eyes drifted over to the large window, as if expecting Riku to be standing there with a pitchfork, ready to murder him for speaking with his _beloved_ girlfriend. Tidus shivered at the thought and pried his gaze off the empty window and back over to something entirely more pleasant—Namine.

"You look…worried?" Namine drawled as she lifted a skinny eyebrow.

Tidus chuckled apprehensively under his breath. "'course not," he responded articulately. "I was just thinking, that's all."

"Oh? About what? If you don't mind me asking, of course," Namine said and expectantly smiled at Tidus.

It was a small smile, to be honest, but it was a small nonetheless and for some reason that made Tidus' heart swell a thousand times over. If he had been a cruel man prior he might have likened this to a modernized Grinch. Oh well. "Just wondering why Riku would blow off dates with someone like you, that's all," he stated honestly.

Namine blinked in sheer surprise. "I'm sure he's…busy," she suggested, though she didn't sound all that confident.

Tidus noticed her fear. It was easy to detect. "Namine, I'm sure he isn't going to break up with you. The guy's practically in love with you. I can tell," he reasoned.

"Practically," Namine echoed and lowered her gaze once more. Tidus paused as well. "Practically isn't good enough, Tidus. I know we've only been dating for awhile but I … I just don't believe him when he says he loves me. Does that make me a bad person, Tidus? Am I overthinking things?"

Tidus swallowed thickly. "I'm sure he means it…"

"He won't look me in the eye when he says it," Namine admitted as she hugged her arms tightly to her body. "He always looks away or kisses my cheek when he says it. He never looks directly in my eyes…is he afraid I'm going to see something I'm not supposed to?"

Tidus shifted, growing more uncomfortable by the moment. If Riku knew he was having this conversation with Namine, with his _girlfriend_, Riku would kill him on the spot. With that pitchfork of death, no doubt. "Namine… sometimes actions speak louder for words. You see it all the time."

Namine sighed miserably and pushed her bangs out of her eyes. However, after a moment, the blonde changed her mind and moved them back, too ashamed to let Tidus see _her_ eyes. "I'm a horrible girlfriend. Riku deserves better."

Wait. What? "Namine, don't say that. You haven't done anything wrong!" Tidus pointed out and blinked in confusion.

"I guess I'm just a boring person…" Namine wondered and rubbed her temples thoughtfully.

"Namine…you're not. He's probably just busy. Didn't you tell me he was with Sora? Sora's probably…going through a hard time," Tidus said and nodded to his own words, hoping to convince Namine of them and calm the pretty girl down. Anything to calm Namine down he would do. Anything. It was only in the code of the secret admirer, after all.

"I know…I know he's with Sora. I know that I shouldn't be acting jealous like this…but three dates in a row, Tidus? Three?...I can understand one. Maybe even two, but three in a row? Tidus…I don't think this is working," Namine murmured.

"You're not breaking up with him, are you?" Was that a thread of hope in his voice?

"I…no. Not yet. I'm not going to jump the gun. I really care about him. A lot. Breaking up over my own stupid thoughts won't do any good," she whispered a bit brokenly. "Please don't tell him I told you any of this. He'd…be hurt and break up with me then. I don't want that. I just…needed to vent, I suppose."

Tidus frowned. Strike three, and he's out of there. "It's fine, Namine. I won't tell. I'm glad I was here for you so you didn't do something you'd regret."

"Hah, I know," Namine whispered with a faint smile. "I'm glad."

"Me too," Tidus said though his heart disagreed with the outcome. Part of him wanted Riku and Namine to break up. A huge chunk of his heart, in fact, did. Not just a small part.

Namine finally looked up to stare directly at Tidus. "Thank you, Tidus. Thank you so much."

Tidus forced a broken smile onto his lips. "No problem, Namine. As long as you're happy, it's no problem whatsoever." A problem it might not be but a heartbreak it most definitely was. How could he get the girl to fall for him when she was enthralled with someone else?

Unrequited love. It downright sucked.

**x**xxx**x**xx**x**xxx**x**xxx**xx**

Seven. It was seven-thirty, to be exact.

Sora fidgeted uncomfortably as he stood in the bathroom of his dorm, listening to the silence that surrounded him. In less than an hour he'd be at the movie theaters with not only Riku but _Axel_. Sora shifted and placed his hands squarely down onto the sink. Now, it wasn't that Sora was crushing on either of them, it was just that they were both _extremely_ attractive guys and…and Sora had never truly been in a real gay relationship before with making out and whatnot and his mind couldn't help but wonder how Axel would kiss and—

And he needed to stop thinking about that this instant. His mind didn't venture off to Riku, however, for the reason that Riku was straight and dreaming about a straight man snogging you was entirely pointless. So, subconsciously, Sora's mind remained on Axel. Axel this. Axel that. Sitting in Axel's lap—

Stop. Stop right there. Sora brushed his fingers through his hair as he turned a shade of pink. This was normal, he told himself. After a breakup you did this. That's all. After a breakup you looked for someone to take out all your built up passion on. That had to be it. Axel was just that person. Thinking about Axel took his mind off the pain. That's all.

Right?...

Seven forty-five and Sora left, tossed the key to the room in his pocket, and locked his heart away, refusing to see what was right in front of him.

**x**xxx**x**xx**x**xxx**x**xxx**xx**

Sora got there five minutes early. The brunet figured that Riku and Axel wouldn't mind if he picked the movie. That way they both wouldn't argue over what they wanted to see. So…Sora just ended up buying a ticket to see National Treasure two, staring at precisely eight thirty. That gave Riku and Axel thirty whole minutes to arrive, get their tickets and snacks, and wander in to the theater. Of course, Sora would wait for them. He was polite, after all.

Kairi hadn't even entered his mind once. In all honesty, his mind was centrally focused on his writings and stories. How could he get the two main characters together? Should they go to a movie theater as well? That'd be cliché…yet at the same time practical. People went to the movies all the time in real-life. It was a normal thing.

"Hey, Sora!"

Sora lifted his gaze off his ticket and noticed Riku meandering over, a beautiful grin plastered onto his thin lips. The silveret ambled over until he stood astutely in front of Sora, hands nestled deeply into his jacket pockets. "So, what are we seeing?" he asked, peering down at the ticket stub in Sora's hand with idle curiosity.

"Uhm…I just picked a movie," Sora murmured, trying not to seem embarrassed. What? He really wanted to see this movie. It seemed amazing and he had loved the first one.

"All right," Riku answered simply. The silveret tossed Sora a smirk before passing by him, patting Sora on the shoulder as he moved past him. Sora watched in befuddlement as Riku walked over to the ticket booth to purchase his own ticket.

Sora said nothing and turned his attention back down to his stub. _Is Riku going to be mad that Axel's here? Of course not. They're best friends, I think. Everything will be fine. Why am I worrying? I should be worrying over the fact that they might ignore me during the movie and talk amongst one another. That's what I should be worrying about!_ Sora laughed mentally and leaned back against the brick, outside theater wall as he waited for Axel.

Sora must have drifted off into his fictional world for he was stirred awake when a hand placed itself a bit provocatively onto his chin. Sora snapped his eyes open—they had been closed?—and stared deeply into the sea green eyes that were staring back at him. Axel. Good lords. "Axel!" Sora squeaked and then cleared his throat, mustering up a manly, "Hey."

Axel let go of Sora's chin and snorted deeply in amusement. "That was the funniest greeting I've ever heard. Swallow a toad or something?" Axel sneered and flicked Sora's nose with utter enjoyment.

Sora's nose twitched as a frown appeared on his lips. "Axel! I was just…caught off guard! It's not everyday that a guy squeaks so I was just—!" Sora just stopped talking. He had no idea what he was trying to prove anymore.

"Whatever, shorty," Axel said and hooked his arm in Sora's and led the brunet over to the ticket booth.

That was when chaos surely ensued.

The moment Axel and Sora neared the booth Riku turned around with a ticket in hand. His aquamarine eyes locked with Sora's at first before drifting over to the taller's. They were arm in arm? Riku stared confusedly for a moment as Axel steered both of their bodies over to the ticket booth where he jostled through the crowd and promptly bought his ticket. It was peaceful, despite the curses that were thrown his way for being so damn rude.

Axel dragged Sora, and his ticket, over to Riku who was standing frozen in the doorway to the actual theater. "Hey, Riku!" Axel chirped with a smirk. "How are you on this fine night?"

"Good..." Riku drawled and eyed the pair. "And you?"

"Fabulous," Axel answered, purposely tossing that _word_ in there. Riku's eyebrows knitted together and he said nothing. Axel spoke for him. "Let's go find our seats, shall we?" he hummed and hooked Riku's arm in his other and dragged the two teenagers inside and towards their designated cinema, not once being asked for their tickets. It was a slow night, after all.

It was five minutes later when the trio settled in their seats—Axel insisted on the back row. Sora in the middle, Riku on Sora's right, and Axel on Sora's left. It was… expected, mostly. Sora nestled into his seat and glanced nervously from Axel and to Riku. Were either of them upset? It didn't seem so.

"…This movie is okay, right?" Sora asked to no one in particular. Sora's eyes wandered from his lap over to Riku who was staring distantly at the black movie screen. Sora sighed and looked over to Axel who was staring at him in return.

"Sure," Axel responded and glanced over to Riku. "Hey, cheer up would you?"

Riku grunted in response and shrugged his shoulders before saying, "I'm fine."

"Oh. I see what's going on here," Axel drawled and waggled his eyebrows. Sora paled. He _knew_ something bad was about to come out of Axel's mouth. "I interrupted your date with Sora. I'm sorry for intruding, dear. I guess we'll just have to share him then?"

Riku opened his mouth to protest but settled upon glaring at Axel. Sora, instead, squeaked loudly and looked down in embarrassment. "Axel…" Sora whispered harshly under his breath. On a date with…Riku? That was absurd…

"Speechless, Riku?" Axel wondered and teasingly leaned forward in his seat so he could fully see Riku's reaction. Either Riku was embarrassed—which Axel highly doubted—or his face had turned red from anger. Oh well. Riku was easy to aggravate.

"You're a sick pervert," Riku stated darkly and locked his gaze with Axel, the glare never once fading.

Axel chuckled despite the response. "Oh you kids," he laughed and leaned back in his chair, getting comfy once again. After a moment of awkward silence, Axel stated coolly, "By the way, Riku, if you want to put your arm around him during the movie, go right ahead. I promise I won't tell."

Sora gaped and gulped down a lump of nerves. "Axel! You're not being funny!" Sora squeaked, covering his face with his hands. That was definitely a blush on Sora's face.

"Why the hell would I do that?" Riku remarked angrily as he continued glaring at Axel from over Sora's cowering body. "I'm dating Namine, and _besides_, Sora is my best friend," he deadpanned. "This isn't a _date_, you sicko."

Axel snickered and shrugged aimlessly. "I dunno. I mean…Sora here can certainly get your heart beating."

"Axel!" Sora whined in a moan.

"Kidding, kidding I'll shut up now," Axel said as the lights darkened. The previews began and Axel kept to his word. Not once did he speak again during the boring previews. Not even during the odd…small cartoon at the beginning of the movie. In fact, he silently snickered and watched Riku and Sora out of the corner of his eye. Oh yes, Axel was _certainly_ up to something. But what? Not even the great beyond knew that one. Axel was a bizarre cookie, truly.

Sora flexed his hands nervously in his lap as the movie itself began. Deep breaths. In. Out. No thinking about Kairi. No thinking about how she broke your heart, Sora reminded himself as he wearily watched the beginning of the movie. Deep breaths. Just keep breathing. In and out.

It wasn't even five minutes in before he felt _something_, like a spider maybe, against his pinky. Sora inaudibly squeaked and looked down in fear to see what it was but when his gaze lowered nothing was there. Sora arched a brow and supposed he was just nervous.

"Sora," Riku breathed quietly, directly into Sora's ear, as if not to disrupt anyone else. Why did Riku's whispering send shivers down Sora's spine? "You okay?"

Sora breathed in frantically. "F-fine, yeah."

Riku nodded and returned to watching the movie. Axel, on the other hand, had other plans. The redhead crept his hand over to Sora's and oh so inconspicuously took it. Not gently, but forcefully. He _yanked_ that thing away from Sora's lap and interlaced their fingers. With force. With assertiveness!

Sora paled and felt a small spark enter his veins. The brunet was too afraid to look down at his now _taken_ hand. Oh god. Oh god. What if Riku saw? What if the very straight Riku saw that he was holding hands with another guy! Wait…?! What?!

"What?!" Sora said a bit too loudly and attempted to yank his hand away from Axel's in shock. Axel noticed Riku looking over and dragged their hands out of view, hopefully.

"Sora?" Riku murmured again, looking at Sora curiously. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Just…reacting to the movie. I…forgot that they were together in the first," Sora mumbled and gestured to Nicholas Cage and laughed apprehensively.

Riku nodded slowly and turned his attention back to the movie. Glad that Riku was distracted, Sora turned to Axel who was grinning like the devil he truly was. "What are you doing?" Sora whispered harshly as he felt his palms begin to sweat. Axel just squeezed their adjoined hands.

"Holding your hand. What does it look like?" Axel wondered and began brushing his thumb along the back of Sora's hand.

The brunet blushed darkly. "B-but…Riku…" Sora whispered warningly and made motions with his eyes to the silveret on his other side. Sora wasn't really bothered by the idea of holding another guy's hand on a date but what if Riku saw? Riku was straight and usually straight guys hated this sort of thing. Sora felt his throat tightening.

"He won't notice," Axel reassured Sora and drew a small circle around the tip of Sora's thumb.

"S-stop." Sora looked away in embarrassment. "You…"

"Hm?"

"You…why?" Sora murmured and tried to focus on the movie but couldn't. Not with someone fondling your hand like that.

"Keeping your mind off things," Axel cooed gently into the air and offered Sora a brilliant smile. "Am I doing a good job?"

Sora blinked. Actually… "Yeah…but I don't think fear is any better than sadness," Sora muttered in response and looked back to the movie. The pair said nothing for a long while.

It wasn't until an hour later that something else happened. Riku got up to get a drink. And of course, he chose to exit the isle in front of Sora and Axel. Sora's eyes widened as he attempted to pull his numb hand away from Axel's. However, before he could pry the dead limb away from Axel's Riku's eye caught the exchange. The silveret blinked, not really caring that he was now blocking a few people's views.

"What are you guys—?"

"I was helping Sora adjust the seat," Axel reasoned and dropped Sora's hand and moved a few inches down and yanked on the lever, moving Sora's seat back a bit. "See, Sora? All better. The lever's right…" Axel snatched Sora's hand again and placed it on the lever. "There." Adjustable theater seats. What a convenient, innovative idea…

Riku eyed them for a long while, shrugged, and sat back down, completely forgetting why he had got up in the first place. No one dared to speak another word until the end of the movie. It was the climatic part, anyhow, so Sora didn't really mind. Axel, of course, snatched Sora's hand _again_. This was becoming a nuisance. Yet…Sora didn't mind that much.

It was just…lacking something, perhaps?

Perhaps it was just thoughts of Kairi.

The movie ended shortly afterwards. Before anyone could get up from their seats, Axel leaned over expertly and brushed his lips almost _sweetly_ against Sora's left cheek. The brunet froze in his seat as his hand was dropped from Axel's. The redhead lingered there for a moment, brushing his nose a bit seductively against Sora's jaw line, and then pulled away with a predacious smirk. Wordlessly, Axel exited the isle and left the embarrassed Sora and clueless Riku sitting there.

"Did you like it?" Riku asked.

"No!" Sora shouted.

"…you didn't like the movie?" Riku stated slowly and eyed Sora, a bit worried.

The remaining people in the theater stared. "Oh…yeah, I did." He didn't mean the kiss. Right. Sora so knew that. Riku hadn't seen the kiss and therefore wasn't asking him about it. "I think…there'll be a third movie, how about you?"

"Agreed," Riku concurred and got up, stretching his arms over his head. With a yawn, the silveret extended his hand, allowing it to hover in the air. When Sora didn't take, Riku curled his fingers in, beckoning for Sora to take it.

Sora stared up at Riku for a long moment and then graciously took it. The silveret's fingers curled around Sora's briefly, sending a surprising amount of shock through his body. Sora blinked slowly as his breath caught in his throat. Blue eyes widened when he thought he felt a gentle caress on his hand…but before he could investigate it was gone. …perhaps he just imagined it. It seemed reasonable. Riku would never cheat on Namine. Riku had just helped him stand up. Riku was a very straight man who was in eternal love with Namine and wanted her. Yes. That was the story.

"Why was Axel here?" Riku asked as the two made their way down the isle and out of the theater itself. The night was cold and Sora wanted nothing more than to go to bed and forget today ever happened. Axel had held his hand. Why? Axel said he was taking his mind off Kairi but… Sora shrugged and decided not to think about it any longer.

"Uh…I felt bad so I invited him?" Sora lied and shrugged. "I'm sorry if he bothered you…"

"Eh, it was fine," Riku answered honestly and shuffled his hands into his pockets. "It didn't bother me. Though…he seemed to bother you? That lever excuse…what _was_ he doing?"

Sora gulped. "Helping me adjust my chair?" Sora responded lamely.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Do I look dumb, Sora?"

Sora didn't dare answer that one.

Riku sighed and shook his head. "Seriously, what was he doing? I can't possibly think of anything other than something perverted. And I swear, if he was being an ass and trying to creep you out and do something completely out of line I'll kill him."

Sora didn't know what Riku considered 'out of line'. "Um…"

Riku sighed, again. "Just tell me, Sora."

Axel would kill him if he told Riku that Axel was gay. "He was just helping me with the lever, Riku!" Sora said, a bit too angrily for his liking. He was scared. He didn't want Riku knowing he was gay either. It…would hurt to see the rejection and hatred in Riku's eyes. It would just hurt too much.

"Whatever…lie to me, I don't care," Riku muttered darkly and looked away from Sora.

"Riku!"

"I know that's not what he was doing. I just don't get why you're lying to me, Sora. I didn't realize that you couldn't trust me," Riku seethed under his breath as they continued walking back to their dorm-rooms, Riku's pace increasing a bit. Sora paled and snagged Riku by the arm. The silveret stopped walking altogether and glanced over quietly at Sora. "What?"

"Please, _please_ don't tell Axel. Please, Riku. I…I'm trusting you to not tell him that I told you… but…he…he's uhm…"

"He's what?" Riku responded lamely, staring at Sora from behind judging silver bangs.

"Uhm…" Why was it so hard to say the simplest thing? Sora gulped and then just shouted, "Gay!"

Riku snickered under his breath when Sora squeaked and hid from embarrassment. Had he just shouted that? Nervously, Sora looked back at Riku, hoping that he wouldn't seen an applauded look on Riku's face. Would Riku hate Axel for being gay? The wind swept past them as they stood near the dorms, now in complete silence. Sora's heart beat quickly as he awaited a response from the taller male.

"Oh," Riku said and nodded knowingly. "Well, that makes sense, then," he reasoned.

That made sense?...Of course it did. "Yeah," Sora whispered and offered Riku a weary smile.

Riku didn't say anything else. All they did was return to their dorm-rooms.

Tonight…hadn't gone as expected, to say the least. Not one ounce.

**x**xxx**x**xx**x**xxx**x**xxx**xx**

"Hey…Riku?"

Riku shifted on his bed and turned to lie on his side to glance across the dark room. "Hm…what is it?"

"Why…did you cancel your dates with Namine? I mean, I could have just stayed here by myself and all. I sorta feel really bad," Sora whispered from his bed. The brunet nervously tugged the seats closer and breathed in deeply, uncertain how this conversation was going to end. IT was late. Riku probably just wanted to sleep, not talk.

Riku sighed and then murmured, "Sora…Namine's my girlfriend. You're my best friend. You do the math."

Sora laid there in silence. "So you…you would choose me over her?"

"What?..." Riku wearily opened his eyes and glanced back over to Sora. "What do you mean?" Sora didn't even know what he meant by that.

"I…dunno."

"Sora, just go to bed," Riku suggested as he hugged his pillow close to his body.

"But I'm afraid you and Namine…will end up like me and Kairi," Sora blurted out and then sheepishly hid his face under the covers. Finally. He had said what he wanted to say all day. Sora gulped and opened his ears, hoping for a response. Anything would suffice.

Riku snorted and then murmured, just loud enough for Sora to hear, "Well, if that happens, I'll have you, now won't I?"

Sora didn't dare answer. His heart had stopped and his mind was running in different directions.

Green eyes…green eyes…_The memory … __And that hand pulled his body back up to earth. And those eyes. They searched his soul, giving him hope. And those lips…they crashed onto his own, rendering him helpless once more as he was lulled into a submissive, beautiful state. And kiss he did. Kiss until his lips turned a new shade of blue. Kissed until he felt his heart bursting with newfound love._

_Kissed until he realized who he was kissing And scream, he did. Scream until those beautiful aquamarine eyes swalloed him whole. Screamed until his lips were silenced by another pair of feathery soft ones. Rolled shut...his eyes rolled shut. Bliss was felt. Kiss, he did. Lovely, he felt. Fingers through silver hair. Soft, just how it seemed. Kiss him, he did. And it was beautiful. … _Sora felt like throwing up.

It wasn't Axel he had been kissing in his dream. It was…

Riku?


	7. first breakups

_new chapter...took me longer than i expected. uhm. plot development. do note that things are slowly progressing and will continue to develop and to be touched upon. so yeah. leave a review. i command it. or else? please ?_

* * *

_**Unwritten**_

Sora was jerked awake the next morning by Riku's alarm clock. It was Saturday and for some reason the silveret had forgotten to turn his nuisance of an alarm clock off. The brunet groaned and shuffled his tired body out of bed. If Riku wasn't going to take the imitative and turn the blasted thing off Sora supposed he would complete the arduous task himself. So, sleepily, Sora made his way across the dorm-room towards the beeping alarm clock. With a smack, he turned the contraption off and glanced over to where the silveret was still slumbering, unfazed by the device that had been screeching its gears off moments prior. How Riku could sleep through that noise was a mystery Sora figured he'd never find out.

Groggily, the brunet college student stumbled back to his bed. Before he could complete this feat, he had somehow tripped over an object that had been strewn on the floor. With a yelp, the brunet fumbled forward onto his bed. He groaned angrily seconds later. His eyes snapped open once again as his hands clung to his bed sheets, keeping his body from sliding back off the bed.

Sora shot a glare over his shoulder when he realized that Riku was _still_ asleep. Sighing, the brunet slithered back under his covers. Blue eyes were about to close but remained open. Thoughts bombarded the youth's mind—thoughts that would keep him from falling back asleep.

_So…that dream I had the other night…I was kissing Riku?_ A shiver slipped down Sora's body at the mere recollection. _T-that's…not possible. I've never had dreams like _that_ about my friends before. Not even when I was crushing on Kairi._ Sora chewed his bottom lip, mentally wincing at the mention of his ex girlfriend's name. Things were not going well lately.

_But still… he said that he'd have me. He implied that he'd choose me over his own girlfriend._ A hot blush rose up in his cheeks. Quickly, Sora rubbed his face, hoping to dispel the bothersome heat. It worked to no avail. "Bah…" he murmured aloud.

Then again, the dream wasn't that _bad_ now that he got to thinking about it. Riku had been a _marvelous_ kisser and those words he had whispered into his ear. Sora shifted onto his side, hiding his warm face in his pillow. _I don't even remember how long we made out for. It felt like forever. Maybe this is normal? After a breakup you're supposed to want some sort of affection, right? That's right. This is just normal._

Still, the image of Riku holding him and brushing his lips against his caused Sora to silently gasp. _Okay, so he's pretty, I won't deny that. And okay, maybe he is really amazing. But come on, he's my best friend. It's not that I wouldn't mind dating someone like him. No, that's not it. It's just that he's my _best friend_. Best friends have certain lines they are expected not to cross. But…then again, Kairi and I crossed those lines, too…_

Sora rolled over and glanced across the dark dorm-room towards Riku's bed. Said silveret was still pleasantly snoring, the blankets pulled tightly around his tall form. Sora's lips rose up into a smile as he laid upon his own bed. "He's really sweet," he whispered to himself.

It was true. Ever since his breakup Riku had been there for him: To comfort him, to hold him, everything… Although, the idea of a _guy_ actually willingly letting another _guy _hold and hug them was a bit strange, Sora didn't mind it. Riku and he had _that_ strong of a friendship, after all. Maybe Riku just sympathized with him and understood his pain. Maybe Riku considered him to be a younger brother?

Then there was Axel. Last night. "He…" Sora promptly shook his head and rubbed his cheek once more. "He's just a flirt," he mumbled indifferently and sucked in a deep breath.

But…Riku knew about Axel now. The silveret didn't seem bothered by the knowledge that Axel was gay, so would Riku be all that upset about _Sora's_ preferences? He shook his head. "I won't tell him just yet," Sora said to himself, hugging his blankets. "I'll wait until we've had time to get to know each other more. To get settled in."

"Sora?"

Sora stiffened and casually glimpsed out of the corner of his eye. His gaze wandered over to Riku's side of the dorm and he cleared his throat. "Yeah?" he answered softly, his voice barely above a whisper. How long had Riku been awake? Since the alarm-clock fiasco? Well, that would make sense, but still. Riku should have said something before this.

"What time is it?" the silveret mumbled, tugging the blankets tighter around him.

"Uhm…" Sora looked away from Riku and to the culprit of the earlier sound. "Five. Which is way too early to wake up on the weekends," he said, laughing to himself. _I'm so tired yet I can't fall back asleep. Too many things on my mind. I hate when this happens to me._

"Oh," Riku yawned and poked his head out from the covers. Tired aquamarine hues stared across the way towards Sora. Their gazes met in the dreary darkness. "Sorry about my…clock. Forgot to turn the alarm off," he admitted with a sheepish, tired smile.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," Sora reasoned with a soft smile of his own. "You can go back to sleep. It's Saturday so we don't have to do anything." The brunet began drawing small patterns onto his blankets. Why did things suddenly seem all the more awkward than they had been recently?

"Something wrong?" Riku questioned, sitting up. The male groggily rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms above his head—which was barely noticeable in the dim light. The sun had barely begun to rise at this point.

_Riku's good at detecting things. _"Eh, just tired," Sora lied and blinked over at Riku. "Why? Is something bothering you?"

Riku shrugged. "Sort of."

Sora's eyes widened in subtle surprise. "Want to talk about it?" he wearily suggested. _If Riku is willing to listen to my stupid problems, I'm willing to do the same. If something's bothering him then it must be really big._

"Eh…" Riku shrugged for a second time. "Mostly about Namine."

Sora had expected that. "What about her?" he whispered, keeping his voice soft and quiet. There was no reason for raised voices, nor was there a reason for light in the room. This was a conversation between two best friends, behind closed doors, spoken in hushed voices. This was sharing secrets between two inseparable people.

"Do you think she's mad that I haven't spent that much time with her the past few days?" Riku wondered, his palm massaging his forehead. "I was thinking about it last night and…I guess I felt bad."

Sora licked his lips absently and remained lying beneath the covers. "Has she said anything about it to you?" Riku cleared his throat and uneasily laughed. Sora's nose scrunched up and he instantly sat up. "Riku?"

"Last night around midnight she sent me a text," Riku began as he reached to his right for his cell phone. Silently, he flipped it open and clicked a few buttons. Once done, he sat there in silence until deciding to speak again. "It says, 'Sorry to send this so late, we need to talk. Call me tomorrow'." Riku flipped the phone shut.

Sora's eyes widened in surprise. "I hate that phrase…" Sora admitted and hunched his shoulders, looking hopefully at his best friend. "She could have picked something better than that. Everyone knows that's the last thing anyone wants to hear."

"You know, I was thinking that too," Riku agreed and then sighed, lowering his gaze. "Then I thought that maybe she _meant_ it. That maybe she meant to convey what I think she did…"

"You don't think that she wants…" Sora began and then gulped thickly. "Oh my god, if this is about you cancelling dates with her the past few days I'm going to kill myself." Riku looked up. "N-not really. I mean… I … If this is because of me I don't know what I'll do, Riku!"

"I'm sure it doesn't involve you," Riku said and shook his head distantly. "It's probably about things in general. Ever since the first day of school we've been a bit off. Something just changed, I guess. We've always been good friends but now it seems like…something is missing. Something's changed. That's all I can come up with."

Sora frowned and fought back the urge to get up and sit beside Riku. Instead, he remained on his bed. "Riku…you're an amazing guy. She wouldn't end something with you because of a few dates, I'm sure. Besides…you guys can work through the problems, right?"

Riku shrugged dismally. "I suppose."

"It never hurts to try!" Sora reasoned and threw caution to the wind. Instead of remaining on his own bed like a good boy, he sprung up and marched over to Riku's. Wordlessly, he sat down beside the silveret and looked at him with a stern expression.

"She's just acting like she'd rather date someone else," Riku confessed and shook his head.

Sora was about to answer but paused. _Didn't Tidus tell me on the first day that he liked Namine?... No, that couldn't be the reason. He wouldn't court her while Riku is busy. No. Tidus would never do that. It just has to be something else. Riku and Namine are just in a fight. That's all. _"I'm sure everything will turn out all right, Riku," he reassured the taller, gently nudging him in the side.

"Yeah…it will," Riku agreed and nodded. "I'm just over thinking things."

"There we go!" Sora stated and poked his friend in the side this time. "Stay optimistic and everything will be fine!"

"Thanks, Sora," Riku murmured quietly and offered his friend a beautiful smile.

Sora scorched a hot red and thanked heavens that it was still dark. "You're welcome," he whispered. "I'm gonna go back to sleep for a few hours, mmkay? We can talk in the morning if you want."

Riku nodded. "Goodnight then, Sora."

Sora grinned and bounced back to his bed cheerfully. Without another thought on Axel, Kairi, Tidus, or Namine, Sora drifted back into slumber. No, his mind was not any of those four…it surprisingly focused on Riku. So he found his best friend attractive, so what? It was okay to comment on your friend's looks…and Sora had already admitted to himself over and over that he was gay so he wasn't denying anything. No, he just admired Riku. That was all. So why couldn't he keep that dream off his troubled mind?

**xx**x**x**xx**xxxx**

It was something called love, Riku figured. But Naminé--he had never expected her to randomly push him onto the bed, press her lips to his, and just stay like that. It had been a long, tiring day, and after a rough day of classes, Riku finally got the chance to speak with Naminé about the mysterious, late night text. Now, he somehow ended up on her bed. Now, she was shyly on him, pressing her lips against his. It was a continuous rolling and it took everything Riku had not to pin her down and ravish her senseless.

He returned the kiss, as any gentleman in love would do, and ran his hands lovingly through her hair. This was what he wanted, right? To love Naminé unconditionally, kiss her in the privacy of her own bedroom, and to just be with her. After what happened the other day, regarding the entire sex thing, Riku wasn't entirely sure that Naminé would even want to kiss anymore, but this, this was proving him entirely wrong.

Was this what she meant by needing to talk? Riku didn't think too much on that. His thoughts ceased as his arms graciously curled around her skinny waist, keeping her on his lap. Her legs remained wrapped around his hips; making both their bodies heat extremely fast. She was so close. Their bodies were so damn close.

"Naminé," Riku said, breaking the kiss as he stared at her.

She looked up at him with sparkling, blue eyes. Her hands lovingly threaded through his thin, beautiful hair. "What's wrong?" she wondered, utterly dazed.

"We can't do this," he decided, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. We…just can't."

She looked confused. "But…the other day you asked and I thought," she began with befuddlement, her eyes widening. "I…"

"Naminé," he said, lifting his hand to cup her cheek. His thumb ran along the soft texture of her cheek, the skin relaxing him. "I just can't do it. Please, try to understand."

Things were already rocky from the start. "Riku…" She pulled away slightly, her gaze falling downward. Something serious was in her eyes all of a sudden. "I thought this would salvage it," she mumbled, more so to himself.

"What?" Now Riku was the one confused.

"Ever since Sora's arrived … I've been losing you. I don't know how or even why, but I am. It's…obvious from the way you kiss me…and hold me…and even talk to me. It…hurts me really badly to say this, Riku, but I," she pulled off his lap and fumbled backwards, into a standing position in front of him, "think we should breakup."

Riku stared at her in a forced, deadpan manner. "Excuse me?"

Naminé looked away, tears clustering in her eyes. Myriads of little tears. "I'm sorry. If I thought it'd work I wouldn't be saying this. I just don't think it's love. It's something, I know that. I won't deny that. It's just not the love I'm looking for. I'm sorry, Riku."

Riku shook his head ferociously. "But Naminé--!"

"I know," she said, reaching over and cupping his cheek. Her fragile fingers soothingly ran along his warm cheek, back and forth. "Riku, I know."

He stared at her with a look of terror. His expression was a paragon of true stun. "How?" he whispered, arms looping around her waist, trying to pull her close once more. But she resisted. She pulled away, her hand falling from her boyfriend's face. "How?" he repeated.

"I can see it in your eyes, Riku, everything. I know it's not love. Don't keep trying to tell me it is," she said softly, the tears in her eyes surprisingly drying. She gave him a sad smile, hoping to comfort him. It didn't work—she didn't suspect it would.

"Naminé, you don't understand. I don't want to lose you," Riku tried to argue, reaching out to take her hand. His body was shaking now. The reason? God, there were too many reasons.

Naminé sadly shook her head. "You're not going to lose my as a friend, Riku. I'll always love you—as a friend. I'm here for you. I'm here if you ever need someone to talk to. This just isn't…what I'm looking for. What _you're_ looking for." She gave him an all-knowing look. "Please, don't lie to yourself."

Riku looked away harshly. "Who are you to say what I want?..." he whispered brokenly, but surprisingly not angrily. "Naminé, I want this to work. I want you to be happy. For _us_ to be happy. Please, give me another chance to do that."

"I'm not going to prolong it," she said, simply shaking her head negatively. "It's for the best, trust me."

"We _can't_ breakup, Naminé. This has been the best relationship I've ever _had_. It's going _perfectly_. Please, reconsider," Riku attempted, standing up as well. He wasn't going to cry, but he looked entirely flustered, as if someone had just told him his deepest, darkest secret. He didn't see any of this coming—but he should have after that text last night.

"Riku!" This time, she grabbed his arm, desperation in her eyes. "Don't. Don't try and fight this. It's for the best. I'm sorry…"

"So it's just…over? Just like that?" he wondered, hurt now in _his_ eyes.

She gave a sad nod. "I want you to be happy, too…but I know this isn't what we both really want. I'm sorry, Riku."

"How could you know that…?" Riku muttered, looking away from the blonde he had been previously kissing.

"I just do," she said in a quiet murmur before turning her head away. "I better leave. I…have to go to work now. I'll see you around, okay, Riku?"

"I'll call you?" Riku suggested as Naminé turned around, heading towards the door.

She turned back, staring at him as if she wanted to say more. The sad smile grew as she delicately held her purse between her fingers, shaking somewhat. "I'd prefer it if you didn't."

And that was all Riku needed. That was _all_ he needed to know this was over.

**x**xx**x**xxx**x**x**x**

"So, Sora, tell me, did you enjoy last night?" Axel wondered as he curiously poked the brunet's shoulder.

Sora looked up from his half eaten turkey Panini. Eyes flashed over to the redhead who was lounging in the chair next to him, looking as smug and humorous as ever. Sora offered the male a small shrug, as if trying not to verbally answer. When Axel gave him another one of those demanding looks, Sora figured he'd _have_ to answer with words this time. Oh well. "Yeah, it was fun," he said simply, poking the toasted bread before him.

"Riku looked _pretty_ pissed," Axel noted, tapping his lips thoughtfully. "Which means one of two things. He's a homophobe or he secretly is doting one of us and got pissed." The redhead tapped his fingers on the table this time, striking up a jeopardy like rhythm. "Which one do you think it is, Sora?"

"I really don't think it's either," Sora admitted with a shrug. "I think he was just looking forward to spending time with me, maybe…I guess he was a bit surprised to see you there. I don't know. I'm not him," he reasoned with a frown.

Axel chuckled. "So he's mad that I interrupted his advance on you? Oh geez. That's good stuff right there. But too bad. You're all _mine_ now." To prove this point, Axel slung an arm around Sora's neck, yanking the boy closer.

"Uhm!" Sora squeaked, a hot blush appearing on his face. "I…don't think so! I…"

"Oh, _Sora_," Axel sang, clinging to the younger. "Your eyes make my heart melt. And your lips. How I _desire_ to kiss them. It's all too much not to take you home with me and make sweet, _x-rated­, _kinky sex with you!"

Sora blinked and then struggled to get away. "Axel!" he hissed. His tone showed he knew the other was joking, but still. They were in _public_.

Axel began laughing increasingly loudly. After a few moments of pointless chuckles, the redhead sat back in his chair, relinquishing his hold on his brunet friend. "Where's Riku anyhow? I haven't seen him all day."

"With Naminé," Sora replied simply, hoisting his Panini into the air to take a bite.

"Having sex?"

"I don't know!" Sora blurted out all too quickly, cheeks scorching red. "I don't know his sex-life!"

"Well, why not?! You should have installed cameras into your dorm by now! You know. To catch him changing, and making out, and shirtless," Axel rambled on, a fake, dreamy looking crossing his face. "You could sell it to a porn store and make _millions_ off that shit."

"I'll pass," Sora whispered, proceeding to take said bite and loudly chewing. That look Axel gave him. God. He was such a pervert. Sora was about to take another bite to finish his lunch when his cell-phone began vibrating in his pants pocket. Curiously, the brunet set down his sandwich, quickly wiped his hands on his pants, and then grabbed the device from its home.

"Who's calling?" Axel asked, leaning over to stare at Sora's phone.

"None of your business," Sora mumbled as he flipped the phone open and put it to his ear. "Hello?" he asked softly. No one ever called him. Maybe it was his mother. That'd be reasonable.

"Sora?..." The voice sounded broken, desperate, even.

Sora took a moment to recognize the voice. "Riku? Hey, what's wrong?"

"Can you…please come back to the dorms? I…need to talk to you."

Sora arched a brow and nervously tightened his grip on his phone. "Sure. Uhm. I'll be there in like five minutes. Is everything alright?" He was genuinely concerned. Riku never sounded _that_ down. The silveret was always high-spirited and flirtatious and just…not like _this_.

"I'll explain when you get here. Please…Sora." And the way Riku said his name in such need made shivers run down Sora's back. A small blush appeared on his face.

"Okay. I'll be there in five," he said gently and hung up. The brunet pocketed the phone and glanced over at Axel who was staring at him _very_ curiously. "It was Riku," Sora began in explanation, getting up to throw away the small Styrofoam tray the sandwich had come on. "He wants me to come back to the dorm room for something."

"It sounded important," Axel noted, eying the brunet as he threw away his trash. "Maybe he wants you."

Sora flushed a hot red and then narrowed his eyes. "I don't think it was _that_ kind of important," he mumbled, grabbing his jacket and easily slipping it onto his bony shoulders. "I'll see you tomorrow. Unless you have class on Sunday?"

"Nah," Axel said with a shake of his head. "I have one in the evening but that's it. I'll be around. Now, stop wasting time. _Run to him_." He began making frantic shooing motions at Sora. "Run to him before the erection goes down!"

Sora scorched a hotter red and made his way to the door, muttering loudly, "Insane pervert."

**x**xx**x**xxx**x**x**x**

It was Saturday and usually on Saturdays Sora was out with his friends, either at a café or the movies. But tonight, he was returning to his dorm room, in the middle of the evening, upon request of his best friend. In the back of his mind, Sora wondered when he would finally get the courage up to call Kairi again, or when he'd actually forgive the girl. Neither seemed likely today, so he just decided to forget about her for the time being. Why remember the heartache when you had more important things to do with your life? And right now Riku seemed like the most important.

Sora slipped his key into the dorm room door, fumbling a few times before actually managing to unlock it. When he did, he peeked inside, making sure that Riku wasn't in the middle of changing or anything that he could embarrassingly walk in on. His eyes automatically fell onto the silveret who was lying upon his own bed, staring up at the ceiling, with a _very_ bothered look on his face. Sora's smile fell at once.

The brunet entered the room at once. Memories plagued his mind instantly. That dream. It had started similar to this. Sora fought off the blush and silently made his way over to the bed. Cautiously, Sora took a seat beside his best friend. "Hey, Riku," he greeted softly.

Riku's trance was broken. Aquamarine eyes flickered over to Sora. "Hey…"

"Uhm…are you okay?" Sora whispered, looking nervously at his friend.

Riku sucked in a deep breath. He was struggling with something. That was apparent, in the least. Riku shrugged dismally, obviously not in the mood to talk about it. Sora felt bad. When _he _had had problems he fell on Riku, sobbing like a baby. Riku, though, was keeping it to himself. Sora absently wondered if he should have done the same…did Riku think he was some weak, pathetic idiot now?

"You know…you can talk about it if you want. I'm all ears," the brunet said warmly, nudging his friend in the arm. Sora at once made a mental note that he never, ever wanted to see Riku this upset ever again.

"Maybe," Riku murmured, his hands rising to rub his temples. "I don't want to bother you with it. You're in such a good mood."

Sora's smile fell. "Riku, that's a stupid thing to say," he admitted, poking him again. "You _know_ that I want to hear it. It's not gonna bother me. I'm here for you, aren't I? I came. Now tell me or I'm gonna have to get it out of you." He teasingly waggled his brows. When Sora did something like that, it was more hilarious than seductive.

Riku cracked a smile. "Here, lay down."

Sora blinked in surprise. Riku was…telling him to lay down beside him? Wasn't that kind of against the guy code? Sora scrunched his nose up. _We're not like normal best friends. We're anything but normal, I guess._ Obediently, the brunet shuffled into a lying position beside his friend. Nervously, Sora laced his hands together on his chest.

"So, you gonna tell me or what?" Sora asked, turning his head to look curiously at his friend.

Riku sighed miserably, looking like the epitome of vulnerable. "Naminé…broke up with me."

Sora was _honestly_ surprised. "She…did?" he asked in a surprised whisper. Whispers were more comforting. "Why would she do that? You're amazing…you didn't do anything wrong, Riku…What'd she say?"

Riku shrugged, still looking utterly disconcerted. "She said I really didn't love her and, basically, that we'd be better off as friends. I don't know. It doesn't really make much sense. I'm still trying to get over the fact that no matter what I said it didn't matter to her."

Sora inhaled deeply and then said daringly, "Then you deserve better. Someone that'll love you for who you are no matter what. You know, someone who will work through the small problems and not just breakup because things are getting tough."

Riku chuckled. "That's quite true. Now if only things were that easy."

Sora offered a smile at Riku, not realizing how oddly close they were. Well, yeah, the bed was small and they were both young adults resting on it. Go figure. "You know what's kinda funny? But in a cruel way?"

Riku arched a brow. "What's that?" he asked curiously.

"That we both started college with girlfriends and now we're both single. That's…kind of sad. We finally met each other after so many years and then we just….lose our girlfriends. It's like…you get something and then you lose something."

"Hm…that's true," Riku said, his hands falling by his sides. His gaze glued to the ceiling above. It was boring but oddly relaxing. "But, you know, I'd much rather have you here in real-life than a girlfriend that's just going to breakup with me for no reason."

Sora blushed against his will. Teasingly, he nudged his foot against the older's. "Oh, Riku. If I didn't know any better I'd swear you were coming onto me for the rebound."

Riku rolled his eyes, actually laughing this time. "Why of course, Sora. In fact, I'm going to rape you in the middle of the night because I'm so depressed." He continued laughing, obviously feeling better after that short, short conversation.

Sora giggled, glad to see his friend feeling better. "But it won't be rape."

"How so?" Riku turned to Sora for a warming smirk. "You want me to fuck you in the middle of the night?"

Sora rolled _his_ eyes this time and averted his gaze. "Heck yes. Who wouldn't?" he joked.

"Too bad we're not gay," Riku laughed, looking back up at the ceiling with a soft sigh, more at peace this time.

Sora frowned. "Yeah, too bad indeed."


	8. first setups

_new chapter. took forever, again. grrr you highschool. i hate sophomore year loads. oh well. i finally managed to write this. please dont hurt me for the cliffhanger at the end, okay? okay. leave a review, please. no review, no update. hahaha._

* * *

**_Unwritten_**

Even in college Sora hated Sundays. Especially Sundays where the night prior your best friend in the entire world suffered a horrible breakup. Even worse, that very same night, your developing crush had just bluntly stated he wasn't gay and eluded that he never would be. All in all, it was a crappy Saturday and Sora speculated that today, Sunday, would be just as bad. He didn't have any classes to worry about but he _did_ have his heart to contend with. A heart that was still sore over the Kairi incident. And now, here he was, eying his best friend of _years_ with a newfound affection. Why did finally _meeting_ Riku change all those feelings in the pit of his stomach? It changed from serenity to butterflies in no time at all. It was all Sora could do to keep up with his changing perspective on life. Why did he have to start falling for his _best friend?_

Sora groaned as he tugged the blankets tighter around his body. It was early and he didn't want to wake up. In fact, all he wanted to do was sleep until the next morning. However, his dream never came true because after five minutes of restlessly turning in his bed, his room-mate finally said something regarding the situation.

"Sora," Riku groaned, his hand reaching out into the darkness. "It's five in the morning. Can you quiet down? I need my…beauty sleep," he mumbled unintelligently. Usually jewel-filled sea green eyes were puffy from the obvious lack of sleep. The depredation that Namine's breakup had on the silveret still wasn't clear—was Riku handling this well? Or was this all just a façade to keep Sora from worrying?

"You don't need any more good looks, Riku," Sora answered stubbornly as he straightened his body upon the bed. His legs almost reached the end of the mattress, which he was quite thankful they didn't. It would have been quite uncomfortable. How Riku managed to sleep contently was a mystery.

"Thanks but it's five. I like my sleep," grumbled the other as he nuzzled his pale face against the pillow. Even in the moonlight, Riku's beauty shined through. The small miniscule flaws he held were concealed and Sora peeked over in awe, his mouth hanging open. He silently envied his best friend. How could one person be so beautiful and kind? It was unfair to people like Sora who felt that they were ugly. Of course, the brunet was quite dashing himself but he would _never_ believe such a fallacy.

"Go back to sleep, then," Sora answered quietly. His hands gripped the blankets tightly around his body, pulled over his head as well, attempting not to be caught spying on his friend.

"I can't sleep if you keep tossing and turning. It makes an annoying sound," Riku refuted as a groan slipped through his slightly parted lips. A sound of disgust left them seconds after. "Ew, gross. I was drooling. That's…not attractive, at all."

"Well, you can't be perfect all the time," the brunet reasoned from his half of the room. A playful smile crossed his tired lips and he found the conversation suddenly a bit lighter. For some reason these random teasing moments with Riku just strengthened their friendship—they enforced it. They convinced Sora that Riku would forever be there for him. It proved that the two boys could law at each other's flaws and find the beauty in them.

"Calling me perfect?" Riku asked sleepily as he lifted his head. His silver hair was mussed and it was hard to detect just what emotion was written across his face in the dearth of light.

"No, you egotistic weirdo," Sora retorted with an amused eye roll. "Lay back down. You look like a zombie." A soft giggle proceeded.

"A handsome zombie?" wondered Riku as he batted his eyelashes drowsily.

"Riku, you're in reality right now. You left your dream world a few moments ago," Sora teased as he folded his arms over his blanket-covered chest. He sighed in deeply before going on to say, "You should really get some more sleep. I'm sorry for waking you."

"Nah, it's no big deal," Riku answered as he finally rested back down against the mattress. The teenager's eyes were heavy and he struggled to keep them open. The boy's conscious wandered between reality and fiction as he rested there, refusing to fall back asleep just yet. His mind was refusing to wander back onto the events of the day prior. He _couldn't_ think back to the breakup. No, that would be unacceptable.

"Sleepy," Riku commented in a drained voice, his breathing irregular, signaling that he was quickly losing the fight against sleep. He was a good soldier, though, who put up a hell of a fight. Too bad he lost in the end. Oh well. "So comfy…"

"You sound like a four-year old," Sora taunted as he sat up again, watching Riku with curious blue eyes. His friend was such the comedian at times.

"Well…you're…Sora," muttered Riku as he clung to his pillow.

"Should I take that as an insult?" questioned Sora as he leaned expectantly off the edge of his bed, attempting to survey Riku's face for a reaction. However, due to the cross-legged position Sora was currently in, he easily lost his balance. The brunet teen fell chest first onto the floor, his legs flailing as he crashed onto the carpet. Yeah, that had to hurt. The collision made a loud noise resonate throughout the desolate dorm room. Sora scrambled to a sitting position and rubbed his head, his fingers tangling in the brown, defeated spikes.

"The hell was that?" Riku mumbled as he cracked open a lazy eye. Olive eyes met blue and then blinked a few times. "…How'd you manage that?"

Sora huffed and turned a shade of undetectable red. "Lost my balance. I'm not that coordinated."

"Like me?" Riku asked as he remained under his blankets, refusing to move from his comfortable position. The blankets were far too warm and his body was just too exhausted to move, even if Sora _was_ on the floor having a conversation with him.

"Full of comebacks, aren't you?" Sora sighed as he removed his hand from his hair. He sucked in a deep breath and glanced around the dark room. Sitting on the floor gave the brunet a whole new aspect on the room itself. Down on the floor, the room seemed larger, darker. Blue eyes glanced about, a feeling of sudden despair filling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't pinpoint the reason for the spurred reaction but part of him didn't mind that. It was better to have no idea than it was to know the devastating truth, right?

"Sora?" Riku questioned as he continued watching his friend. "You going to sleep on the floor?"

"No!" Sora said, snapping his gaze off the corner of the room and back to Riku. "Just was spacing out. Nothing big."

"You're still on the floor," Riku pointed out, surprised at how he was managing to form sentences still. All he wanted to do was _sleep_. "If you want to stay there, go ahead. I'm going back to sleep. Goodnight, Sora."

"Wait," Sora said instinctively as he scooted across the floor to Riku's bed.

Riku had closed his eyes by the time Sora reached the edge of his bed. However, Sora's request caused him to crack open a curious eye. "…What?" the silveret inquired as he watched Sora kneeling beside him. He looked worried…almost…concerned with something. "'fraid of the dark or something?"

"…I'm envious of you," Sora admitted quietly, his gaze softening.

"Me?" Riku blinked confusedly at his friend. "Sora, I'm nothing to be jealous of."

"Yeah, you are!" the brunet argued, shaking his head profusely. "You…you're completely gorgeous, you're _so_ smart, you've got a bunch of friends, you're one of the kindest and cool people I've ever met and you're…handling your breakup far better than I did. It makes me feel like I was acting like a little kid. You're so much better than me, Riku, at everything. How can I not be envious?"

"Jealousy's a sin, you know," mumbled Riku as he shook his head. "People have different ways of coping with the pain. Just because I'm not crying and clinging to whoever is nearest doesn't mean I'm stronger than you."

Ouch. The wording made both teens wince.

"Sora…I didn't mean it that way," Riku began before Sora had time to say something in response. "I meant—"

Sora lowered his gaze. "…So I really am weak, huh? God, I knew I was. I mean, what _guy_ cries over his girlfriend breaking up with him nowadays? Especially in the company of his best friend," he mumbled spitefully as he pried his gaze off Riku. "You're lucky. Naminé didn't cheat on you. Kairi did." And that was another thing Riku had over Sora. He was _lucky_. Lucky to have all his advantages. Lucky to have such great girlfriends and…lucky to not be gay.

"Sora, you know I didn't mean it like that," Riku disputed with a fragment of desperation in his voice. "All I was trying to say is that I hate crying and looking to other people for comfort. I've never done that. There's nothing wrong with that. I was just…being an ass, I guess. I'm tired. I'm not thinking right. I'm sorry."

"I'm not mad," Sora interjected, shaking his head. "I know that you didn't mean to say what you did. Don't worry about it. I'm not a little kid; I won't hold a grudge against you."

"Good," Riku sighed in relief as he rested his cheek firmly back against the pillow. "You had me worried that I just pissed off my best friend."

"Nah," Sora answered with a shake of his head, his spikes flopping in random directions. "I'm gonna let you get back to sleep now. I've kept you up long enough. I'll see you in the morning."

"All right," Riku said. He yawned and closed his eyes again. "Goodnight, again, Sora."

"Sleep well," Sora chimed in response and smiled as his friend instantly fell back into the world of dreams. The silveret lightly snored, providing concrete evidence that Riku was truly asleep. It was calming to see someone so at ease.

"He's so perfect," sighed Sora as he slipped away from Riku's bedside. The brunet quickly got back into his own bed, careful not to make a sound. When he did manage to get tucked into his warm bed once more, he leaned his head back against the pillow and stared at the ceiling. Was there any possible way to ward off affection? Could he trick his mind into thinking that he wasn't developing a crush on his best friend?

Sora groaned to himself as he rolled onto his side, watching Riku sleep for the second time that night. "Why can't I live in a fairytale that has a happily ever after, just once?..."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Sora pulled his black hoodie over his t-shirt and left the dorm-room around eleven. Riku was still sleeping contently and the brunet didn't dare wake him. He grabbed his extra key to the room and headed out, hoping to spot either Axel or Tidus at the café. After last night and his rather unsettling discovery regarding Riku, he just didn't know what to think. Surely he could will away his affection, right? He had done it enough in high school. Liking boys was taboo and even though Sora _did_ have a very gay friend, Axel, it didn't mean that it made this situation any better. Riku was straight and probably detested gays. The reaction Riku had given when Sora told him that Axel was gay was far too calm. Was he concealing his anger to keep from upsetting Sora? Or did he…did he guess that Sora was as well? No! He couldn't have. If he had, he definitely would have brought it up last night. _Too bad we aren't gay_, Riku's words replayed in Sora's head. _Too bad indeed_, Sora thought dryly.

Sora paused outside the college café, allowing his day off to calm his restless body. He didn't have classes today so he should have been _enjoying_ today, not worrying himself. With a sigh, Sora made a move to enter the café but froze when a hand reached out and gently landed on his. His blood turned to ice and he nervously looked to the right, trying to spot the culprit. His heart sank further when he realized it was Naminé. Was it a good thing to talk with your best friend's ex? No, not a good idea. She would probably try and turn Sora against Riku for all he knew.

"Sora," she began, her pale blue eyes locking with Sora's, "we need to talk."

"About?" Sora responded quickly, his voice drenched with nerves. Naminé was a pretty and kind girl, yes, but after this breakup with Riku? He didn't know _what_ to expect. Was she going to maim him for spending so much time with Riku? Gods, he hoped she didn't. She was civilized, right?

"Things," she answered tranquilly. A lip lifted onto her skinny lips. "It won't take long, I promise."

Sora nodded lamely and followed the teenage girl into the café. The booming of the music from the ceiling-speakers entered Sora's ear and filled his senses. Naminé still had not dropped his hand and he was becoming exponentially panicky. What if Riku or Axel chose this moment to walk in? What would they think if they saw his tanned hand in Namine's petit one? Would they accuse him or something he had no intent of doing? His stomach churned in reaction.

"It's about Riku," she began again, leading Sora to a corner table. She sat down and refused to let the brunet's hand go, instead placing the adjoined appendages on the tabletop. Yeah, that was really intimidating.

"What about Riku?" Sora asked, his throat drying. He didn't dare pull his hand away from the girl's.

"Sora…you must know why he's been acting differently lately," she pointed out, giving her ex's best friend a worried expression. Her lightly colored eyes watched the brunet intently, surveying him for any sort of reaction, whether it was positive or negative.

"Different? He has?" Sora questioned naively, head tilting in mystification. "I haven't noticed."

"Before I broke up with him," she started, "he had started acting different towards me. He became distant…didn't want to do anything with me…He started becoming defensive and easily irritated. He just turned into a different person. Did you…notice any of this?"

"Naminé," Sora said uneasily, "I'm sure it's nothing you did."

"Sora, you haven't answered the question," she answered curtly, her eyes locking with his. "Has he been like this to you, at all?"

Sora felt bad for his answer. "No, he hasn't…"

Naminé sighed miserably, nodding with understanding. "So it's just me, I guess," she muttered, looking off to the right. Sora's heart dropped. Even if Naminé broke up with Riku, he didn't want the girl thinking Riku had treated her badly. He didn't want Naminé hurt over something that was probably a fallacy.

"He's been like that to Axel, too!" Sora interjected, shaking his head rapidly.

Naminé let go of his hand and turned her attention back to him. "Distant? Irritable?" she proposed, watching the brunet hopefully, as if she was trying to get to the bottom of something. Whatever it was, Sora hadn't the faintest idea what it was. He wished he did.

"Yeah. He got annoyed with him at the movies and just…he seemed really different towards Axel," Sora recalled, giving an affirmative nod to the blonde across the table. "It's not just you, Naminé. That I can promise you." Hopefully she felt a bit better?

Naminé appeared contemplative. "So…he's just been acting differently towards everyone except you," she concluded.

"Yeah, that's ex—wait what?!" he blurted out, eyes widening with confusion. "I…I'm sure he has been with me as well. I just haven't noticed it. Uhm, I've only known him in real-life for around a week and I don't know how he usually behaves," he rambled, appearing frenzied. "I'm sure this has nothing to do with me!"

She sighed and waved off the confusion and laced her pale hands together under her chin. "Relax, Sora. I wasn't accusing you of anything. I was just trying to see why Riku's been acting oddly lately. I'm sorry if it seemed like I was attacking you," she informed him sincerely, a small, sad smile spreading across her lips.

"Oh," Sora responded dolefully. "Listen, I'm sure that the breakup was for the best…"

"I loved him," she admitted with a quiet sigh. "Perhaps not true love but…it was something like that. I really did care. It just hurts to have to force yourself to end it with someone because they've changed."

Sora frowned, lowering his gaze. That hadn't happened with him and Kairi, Riku? "My girlfriend broke up with me the other day as well," he pointed out quietly. "If I'm the only one Riku isn't acting like an ass to, that's probably why. I…I've been having a hard time coping with it and Riku's trying to help me through it. It's nothing personal; he probably just doesn't want to deal with me whining or something."

Naminé smiled softly. "I'm sorry to hear that…but you've got yourself one of the best friends in the world."

"I know," Sora answered quietly, fingers lacing nervously in his lap. "I'm lucky to have met him."

"You should have seen him before you came up here," Naminé went on to say, a smile stretching across her lips again. "He wouldn't shut up about you. It was adorable. If I didn't know him that well, I would have sworn he was crushing on you," she giggled and shook her head.

Sora blushed fiercely. _Damnit…_ "Oh. Haha, of course not."

Silence. "What I really have been meaning to ask is…how is Riku doing? I feel bad for ending it with him so emotionlessly but I knew it just couldn't go on." Now that the awkwardness between the pair had died down, Naminé felt it was time to actually _talk_ with Sora. Not just nag at him for information.

"He's…doing better than I did," Sora disclosed with a defeated sigh. "Then again, we probably just have different ways of handling things. I figure he's the type to keep it all inside, you know?"

"He does seem like that kind," Naminé agreed with a sad look again. "Before we started dating he was dating this other girl. She broke up with him because he didn't want to have sex with her. He wanted to take it slow or something like that. I admired him for that but…he seemed really broken by the breakup. He didn't let on that he was hurt but it was obvious." She shook her head. "I told myself I wouldn't hurt him like she had but…look where we are now."

"You had your reasons," Sora pointed out, not wanting Naminé to feel worse than she already did. True, she was the one to breakup but…she had her legit reasons. "It was best to end it."

"That's what I keep telling myself," she said with a nod, playing with her fingers. "I just wish that he'd find someone he _truly_ wants to be with and stick with it. He's got the looks and he's got the personality when he's not acting like a jerk."

"That he does," Sora murmured under his lips.

Naminé watched him for a few moments. She didn't say anything more on the matter. "Would you like to have lunch with me? I promise I won't bring up anything more about the breakup. We can talk about something else." A warm, friendly smile.

"Sure," Sora decided, nodding this time. "Why not?"

They exchanged smiles and remained at the café for an hour longer. And even though Sora knew Naminé hadn't emotionlessly tossed Riku away, he couldn't help but wonder if he was missing something. He figured that Riku would tell him eventually. If not, well, he could deal with it. Riku was still his best friend, right? At least…until he realized that Sora was gay and very much crushing immaturely on him. That wouldn't be good.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Where's Sora?" Axel wondered as he held tightly onto the game controller. It was around noon and the redhead had wandered over to Riku's dorm for a quick videogame and discussion. He figured that it was best to try and mend his friendship with the silveret before it broke. The last thing Axel needed right now was Riku hating him for something. So he figured that visiting Riku and bonding with him would be the best idea. Plus, he could discreetly get them both into a compromising situation while he was over. However, his plan was thwarted by the discovery that Sora wasn't there. Now a plan change was in order.

"Dunno. I think he went off for lunch," Riku answered as he sat on his bed, cross-legged. His hands remained glued to the play station controller as he stared determinedly to the screen. He wasn't going to lose, again, to Axel.

"Oh. That's a bummer," Axel sighed as he rapidly button-mashed, trying to win the fight. He was known for that. "I came over to see the pair of you. Oh well. You're more than enough to keep my occupied," he teased, sending his character on the screen against Riku's, sword-first.

Riku easily dodged. "I'm touched," he answered with an eye roll.

"You better be," Axel hummed, tapping up so that his character would land safely on a ledge. "You seemed pissed at me Friday. Were you?"

"No," Riku responded honestly, following Axel's black-haired swordsman. "I was just surprised that you were there. Sora should have told me that we were going to meet you there. I wasn't upset, just shocked."

"Whatever, pretty-boy," Axel answered with a chuckle. He easily sent Riku's character off the ledge with a punch. "As long as you're not upset, it's all good."

"I will upset in a minute if you keep beating the shit out of me," Riku grumbled angrily as he rapidly healed, trying his best not to lose his fifth match in a row. "Your damn button-mashing is distracting me."

"You're just jealous," Axel taunted as he continued his assault on Riku. "You only _wish_ you were as good as me, Riku. Don't try denying it. I know that you secretly wish you were me at night. Sorry, kid." He jerked his controller to the right, the sword impaling Riku's character at once. Axel smirked victoriously as he set down his controller, sucking in a triumphant breath of air. It felt good to win. So damn good.

"You suck," Riku groaned in defeat, slamming his controller back down against the bed.

"You're just a sore loser," Axel retorted amusedly, glancing over to Riku. "Actually, no. You just suck at this game. I bet anyone could beat your ass at this game. Even Sora." Considering Sora didn't seem like the type to even _play_ videogames, Axel figured this would be a safe insult directed at Riku. He hadn't the slightest idea.

Riku paused, staring blankly over at Axel. His mouth opened to respond but he shut it. He sat there for a few more moments before finally asking, "Hey, Axel. I have a question."

"And that'd be?" Axel wondered, nonchalantly grinning over at the silveret.

"By any chance, are you gay for…Sora?"

Axel paused, his catlike eyes widening. He stared accusingly over at Riku for a few minutes before finally going on to ask, "Are you implying that I _want_ him?" Nod. "Are you also implying that I'm gay?" A calm nod. Considering Riku hadn't thrown a fit over this…bit of knowledge, Axel decided to play whatever game Riku had proposed. "Why yes, I do. Who _doesn't_ want him? He's hot."

"So you _are_ gay," Riku decided, resting his chin into the palm of his hands. "You know, you could have told me this earlier. I've known you for years now and you're finally getting around to telling me that you're gay? That's really reassuring, Axel."

"Well, Mr. Straight-boy, I didn't _want_ to tell you. I figured that if you couldn't figure it out for yourself, you weren't worth telling. I mean, usually straight guys, such as you, no offense, beat on the poor, weak, and defenseless 'gays' such as me. What did you want me to do? Declare my sexuality out of nowhere?" He cocked a brow, seemingly insulted.

"Whatever," Riku sighed. "At least you finally got around to admitting it to me. It's nice to know things about your friends." He leaned his back against the headboard to his bed, ignoring the 'game over' on the screen. He could really careless.

A moment of silence wandered between the pair of friends. Axel remained on the floor, back against Sora's bed. "Actually, I'm sort of glad you figured it out. Now I can ask you for advice." Before Riku could interrupt, Axel went on to say, "I'm thinking of asking Sora out on a real date. And considering you're his best friend…do you think he'd say yes?"

Riku bit his bottom lip and shrugged, not really interested in the conversation. "Depends. Is he gay as well?" He was acting strangely calm about this whole matter.

Axel appeared to be struggling with his words. _Sora must have told him something about my sexuality…he would have never guessed it himself…he would have never brought up this conversation. Damnit, I told Sora not to tell him. Fine then. If Sora told him then… _"Of course he is. You didn't know?" He shrugged as well, pretending that it wasn't a big deal.

"No, actually," said Riku, glancing over at Axel apathetically.

Axel nodded. _Wow, he's not pissed? _"You know…" he began, lacing his hands behind his head. _If Riku is okay with Sora and I being gay, then I wonder if he's okay with me teasing him over this entire thing. _"Too bad you aren't gay as well. You and Sora would be /adorable/ together. Oh well, he's all mine now."

"Sorry, Ax. Not gay. Keep dreaming," Riku remarked, sighing in defeat as he rolled his eyes.

"_Denial_," Axel answered teasingly, watching Riku with interest. _Aw, the poor guy. He's probably going to beat me upside the head for being a jerk. Oh well. He's funny when he's mad. At least, when he's jokingly mad._

"You're highly annoying, you know that?" Riku joked. Although it _was_ a joke, there was truth in that statement. Axel _could_ be the most annoying person in the entire world if he wanted to be. Then again, everyone was to, some degree, annoying, after all. Axel just like to flaunt his annoyingness, Riku figured.

"Yup." Axel nodded proudly. "But Sora doesn't seem to mind," he cooed, mockingly staring dreamily at the ceiling.

Riku groaned. "Can we _please_ keep your gay fantasies out of the conversation?" he murmured, sounding a bit uncomfortable now.

"Sure thing, straight-boy," Axel said with a nod, returning to the game. _Okay, so maybe he is straight…Oh well. Sora's gay and available, why not serve as the boy's rebound and have a fun relationship with him? Seems like a good idea to me_. The two continued the games far into the afternoon, not even bothering to eat lunch. Although Riku hadn't seemed disgusted about the entire ordeal, Axel knew, deep down, something had changed in the silveret.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Sora returned later after Axel had left. The brunet had gone out for a day of shopping (mostly school supplies) with Tidus and Naminé. It didn't take Sora long to realize that Tidus was already courting after the blonde. It was cute, in a way, but Sora's heart kept telling him to keep out of it. Riku had been hurt by Naminé and he wasn't sure if he should be happy that she had moved on or not. It just seemed so soon. He kept quiet, though, and spent the day, for the most part, happily. Now he was finally back in his dorm, tired and exhausted from a day of walking.

Riku glanced up from his class work when he realized that Sora was spacing out at the ceiling. "You don't have work due tomorrow?" the silveret wondered, yawning a few moments later. It was getting late and the weekend had finally ended.

"Did it yesterday," Sora reasoned, waving off the statement.

"Oh," Riku laughed. "I procrastinate, sorry," he teased, going back to writing the sentence he had been composing moments prior.

"Procrastination isn't good, you know," Sora pointed out, looking over at his friend. How Riku managed to deal with his breakup so maturely, Sora never knew. It was amazing. It made Sora want to look up to his best friend as in idol or something. So strong.

"I know," Riku responded with a smirk, placing the pencil back down on the paper. "Oh, right. Axel wanted me to ask you something."

Sora sat up. "What's that?" he wondered, undoing his bed, getting ready for sleep.

"He wanted me to ask you if you were free Wednesday night."

"Why?" Sora paused, his fingers curled around his blankets as he yanked them down so he could get in. He was about to slip into his warm bed when Riku's next words caught him off guard and caused his heart to stop.

"He wanted to know if you would like to go on a date with him Wednesday."

Oh _fuck_.


	9. first discoveries

**lol, i really like this chapter. it's got a lot of drama.  
things from here on out are going to get a bit crazy and fast-paced.  
i blame sora's hormones. anyhow, please leave a review.**

**Unwritten**

_**"**He wanted to know if you would like to go on a date with him Wednesday."_

Sora's breathing stopped and he found it nearly impossible to look over at Riku. His heart remained in his throat while his fingers dug at the blankets beneath him. He gulped as the silence engulfed him. He wanted to run and hide but that nearly impossible in a dorm room this size. So, having nothing better to do, Sora sat there silently, secretly wishing that this conversation had never been brought up. Perhaps if he ran out of the dorm, Riku would drop it? Yeah right. Blue eyes shut firmly and he began wishing away his anxiety.

"A date?" Sora repeated after having finally found his voice.

"Yeah," Riku murmured, his feet propping up on his small desk. "Didn't know you were gay too, Sora."

"Too?" Sora repeated that as well, sitting up.

"Yeah. I mean, you told me Axel was gay and everything. I didn't realize that you were as well," the silveret explained, tapping his pencil idly on the desk. His lips curled up into a smirk a moment later. "So, you going to go on that date with him or not?"

"Don't know," Sora whispered, his fear growing. "You're not…creeped out, right? I mean…"

Riku spared a look over his shoulder at Sora. His gaze was surprisingly soft. "No. A bit disappointed that you didn't tell me yourself, but not grossed out or anything like that."

Sora sighed in relief. "Listen," he began, fingers toying with his blankets, "I would have told you but I didn't know how you'd react. I figured that there wasn't a real reason to tell you…" Pause. "Okay, that came out wrong. What I'm _trying_ to say is that I didn't want to jeopardize our friendship over a miniscule detail."

"You still should have told me," the silveret explained. He wrote something down on the paper before him and appeared suddenly pensive. His fingers curled around the pencil tightly, a look of contemplation crossing his features. His right foot tapped indolently against the ground and he sucked in a deep, long breath. "So, are you going to go on that date with Axel or not? You two seem to have some Chemistry. I mean, with the whole drive-in scenario and whatnot."

Sora winced. Was Riku still resentful over that? "You don't think I'm replacing you, right?" the brunet asked fearfully. He crept closer and stood behind Riku, peering down at what the other was writing. Ah, some math problem. At least he wasn't writing a death note to Axel or something.

"What?" Riku raked his gaze over his shoulder at Sora. "Why would I think that?"

Sora paled some. "No reason. Nothing," the brunet murmured and lowered his gaze. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. Riku was staring far too intently at him—it unsettled him slightly. "Have you talked to Naminé lately?" _Bad choice of topics, Sora, _the brunet thought at once and further paled. Shit. Why did he _have_ to bring up Riku's newly declared ex?

Riku frowned and then shrugged. "No, I haven't. I'm not in the mood to talk to her right now. I will eventually," he murmured and returned to his work.

Sora winced. "Riku, I'm sorry. That question just came out. I didn't mean to make you upset," he explained quickly. His tan hand came to rest on his other's shoulder—and he was instantly surprised at how tense the appendage was.

"Sora," Riku began.

"Your shoulder is really tense," the brunet noted and placed his other hand onto the free shoulder. "You should go to one of those fancy spas. I think there's one a few blocks down. We can go together, if you want. You need to relieve some stress, Riku. Being overstressed is never, ever a good thing," he ranted, his hands remaining firmly on his best friend's shoulders.

Riku cocked a brow. "Sora, stop rambling," he stated simply.

"Uh…" Sora gulped. "Sorry…"

"You never answered my question," Riku stated after a moment. His shoulders remained tense and he did not move, at all. "Are you going to go on a date with him or not? 'Don't know' is not an adequate answer, Sora. You know that."

The brunet gulped, again, and shifted away from the chair. He sat down on the edge of his bed and stared across the dorm room at his best friend. "Riku, I really don't know," he admitted, lowering his gaze. "Axel's a nice guy. Attractive, too, but I just don't know if I want to go on a _date_ with him. He seems like the kind of guy who would like an adventurous boyfriend, not a shy one like me. Besides…he's awfully touchy and I'm afraid that if I do go on that date, he'll try and…"

"Have sex with you?" Riku guessed, hands resting against his keyboard.

"Sort of, yeah," Sora whispered, eyes glued to the floor in shame. "You've known him longer than I have, so please feel free to correct me if I'm making an error in judgment."

"I've known him longer," Riku agreed, his index finger resting over the s key, "but he never told me he was gay. Based on that, I would conclude that you would know his tendencies better than I do."

"Riku," Sora murmured, wincing a bit. "I think the only reason he never told you was because he knew you were straight. He only told me because he sensed I wasn't," the brunet pointed out, swinging his legs uneasily off the edge of the bed.

"Telling someone you're different is based on trust, Sora. That's all," the silveret sighed. He leaned back some in his computer chair. "Listen, I just don't want to talk about this anymore. Call him in the morning with your answer. I'm going to finish my work so I don't fail my classes."

Sora sensed the tense air. "I'm sorry if I made you upset," he whispered, eyes hooding with a veil of sadness. He hadn't meant to come between Axel and Riku. No, not one bit.

"It's not your fault," Riku stated honestly, silver bangs hiding his expression from Sora and the world. "Just get some sleep. I'll be less bitchy in the morning, I promise."

"All right," Sora stated, laughing uneasily. He undid his bed slowly and got in, turning off the light to the dorm. The computer's light was barely enough to bother Sora. "Goodnight, Riku," he whispered, laying down and pulling the covers tightly over his body.

"Night, Sora," answered Riku after a delay. He smiled sadly at the computer and continued his work, not saying anything more the remainder of the night.

xxxxx

Wednesday came quicker than Sora had expected. Sora wasn't _dreading_ his date with Axel later that night, but he was a bit nervous to be truly honest.

The brunet sat in Mango, staring idly down at his notebook. He had been going over his notes from earlier that day when Tidus came over and sat down across from him at the small table. The dirty blond greeted him with a warm smile as he took a sip from his smoothie. When Sora failed to look up from his work, Tidus arched a brow rather curiously. "Earth to Sora," he hummed and gently tapped the top of Sora's notebook.

Sora lifted his gaze and blushed embarrassedly. "Oh, hey Tidus. Sorry, I didn't know you sat down," he stated quickly, the blush growing. "I've just had a lot on my mind. Sorry."

"It's fine," Tidus hummed and lounged back in the chair. "I've had a lot on my mind, too," the teen confessed, laughing uncomfortably.

Sora blinked a few times, his brown bangs hiding his arched brows. "Want to talk about it?" he offered, biting his bottom lip in indecision.

Tidus sighed exasperatedly and leaned closer. "Don't repeat any of this to anyone, okay?" he stated desperately, eyes searching Sora's for assurance. When the brunet nodded, Tidus continued, "The other night, Naminé and I had a date…" Sora nodded uneasily. If Riku found that out, he would more than likely murder his friend for going after Naminé so quickly after the breakup.

"I'm sure Riku won't be upset," Sora interjected quickly, voice quiet.

"That's not at all," Tidus murmured and averted his gaze in shame. "We're dating now, Sora."

Sora fell silent. "All right, I take that back. Riku's going to be upset," the brunet laughed uneasily. He sat back some and rubbed the nape of his neck uneasily. "Couldn't you have waited another week? Riku's going to think you're taking advantage of her. And he's going to be pissed at you for dating her when he still likes her…"

"I know, Sora," Tidus grumbled and ran his hand restlessly through his hair. "But Sora, I've liked her for _so_ damn long. It's not my fault that I couldn't control my hormones. I saw my chance and I just had to take it."

"I know…" Sora chewed on his lip. "But you basically just betrayed Riku…"

"They broke up!" Tidus reasoned, appearing flustered all of a sudden. "Naminé and Riku broke up and I figured she was fair game! It's not my fault," he grumbled and leaned back again. His arms folded to his chest and he looked down in shame. "I screwed up big time, didn't I?"

"Sort of," Sora admitted and closed his eyes. "I'm not sure whether you should tell him or not. Either way, he's going to be mad at you for whatever you choose to do."

"I know," Tidus answered and closed his eyes. "But I care about her _so_ much, Sora. I know you're not supposed to put girls before friendships but _come_ _on_. It's Naminé. She's gorgeous."

Sora nodded understandingly. "Just follow your heart, I guess. When Riku figures it out, I'll try to reason with him so he won't chew your head off."

"Thanks," Tidus murmured. "You know, when I first met you, I didn't know what to think. Riku said that you guys met off the internet, so automatically I was a bit hesitant…but now that I've gotten to know you, you're a pretty okay guy."

Sora grinned from ear to ear. "Really?" A soft, embarrassed blush surfaced. "Thanks."

"No problem," Tidus chuckled softly and took a sip of his drink. He continued lounging in the chair before spotting Riku and Axel in the distance. The blonde's eyebrows arched and then creased together. His breathing quickened and he looked back to Sora, a bit flustered. "Riku's here…and he looks sorta pissed. Should I run?"

Sora looked beyond his friend. He surveyed Riku and Axel chattering up a silent storm from afar. His stomach churned some as he slouched in his chair, pretending he wasn't there. "If you're running, can I as well?" he whispered uneasily. It wasn't that he didn't _want_ to see either of them, but Axel and Riku together? After everything that happened these past few days? He gulped.

"Sur—wait, why are you running?" Tidus questioned, collecting his belongings as he stood up.

Sora quickly followed suit. "Long story," he mumbled with a dark blush. "I'll tell you on the walk back to the dorms?" he suggested.

"Sure," Tidus answered with a confirmatory nod. The blonde began walking towards the entrance of Mango alongside Sora. However, after a moment, the brunet was stopped.

"Hey cutie, where are ya going?"

Sora tensed slightly. His cheeks ripened and he gulped hesitantly. The brunet looked fearfully to Tidus, noting the other's confusion at once. Sora laughed awkwardly under his breath and turned around to face the vibrant Axel. He wasn't exactly sure what to say so instead decided upon standing there stupidly, forcing a smile onto his lips. Things were going all right, just standing there like a moron, until Riku came over, sipping from a glass.

"You running off to get yourself ready for tonight?" Axel hummed, hooking an arm playfully around the short teen beside him.

"Oh, uhm, of course," Sora responded diffidently. He shuffled his feet against the floor and avoided eye contact with Riku at all costs.

"Want me to come help you?" Axel stated airily. His sinewy fingers began to absently play with Sora's soft, brown locks of hair. A seductive smile was written all over the tall man's lips as he stood there possessively next to Sora.

"Am I missing something?" Tidus automatically asked, also evading Riku's gaze.

Riku finally cleared his throat and spoke up. "Axel, stop molesting him," he stated sternly, voice void of conviction. His gaze wandered from Tidus over to Sora, forcing their gazes to lock. He said nothing, though.

Sora shivered some and awkwardly looked back to Axel. "I…think I can handle getting changed by myself." He didn't mind Axel clinging to him. He liked the other; he truly did, but having Riku here? That was just plain awkward. Especially when Axel was being a playful pervert…

"Those pants can be pretty tricky," Axel breathed into Sora's ear.

Sora visibly swallowed a lump of nerves. "I'm an expert, though," he pointed out, looking past Axel to Riku once more. He didn't want Riku to feel left out or ignored.

"What else are you an expert of? I'd love for you to sho—" the redhead began in a sultry voice before he was promptly tugged away from Sora and thrown into the nearest chair.

Sora blinked a few times. What had just happened? Oh right, Riku had just forcefully pulled Axel off him and tossed him absently into a piece of furniture. Wait, what? "Uhm?!" the brunet asked questioningly, watching Axel lounge on the chair he had crashed into with a snicker.

"Don't be jealous, Riku," Axel sang, arms hooking around the back of the chairs.

"I don't need to see you seduce him, thank you," and with that, Riku promptly left, arms crossed to his chest.

Sora watched Riku depart and frowned some. Tidus stood near the table, arching a brow quizzically. Axel remained where he had fallen, humming nonchalantly to himself. At once, the brunet spun around on his heels and glared at Axel. "Axel!" he shouted, a bit too loudly. "Why did you _do_ that?"

"He's the one that threw me!" the redhead pouted, waving his arms in his own defense.

"But he's! He's probably homophobic or something and he just had to watch his two best friends practically air grope each other and oh god!" Sora breathed dramatically and collapsed into the nearest chair. "He hates me," he decided quietly under his breath.

"Uhm…what _am_ I missing?" Tidus asked, looking from the sneering Axel to the distraught Sora.

"He doesn't hate you," Axel assured the brunet. "I was talking to him before we came over. He's fine with our date, don't worry, cutie."

Sora sighed restlessly. "Then why did he storm off?"

"He probably just didn't want to see us all over each other. I don't know, why don't you go talk to him? Hell, maybe he _is_ homophobic," the redhead reasoned and scratched the back of his head. "You have an hour or so before dinner and the movie. Go make sure he's okay."

Sora nodded and then paused. Tidus was still standing there, completely miffed. "Oh uhm…Axel and I are sorta…seeing each other," he mumbled quietly under his breath.

"Oh," Tidus stated slowly. "Oh, well uhm, that's good."

"Yep…" Sora trailed off and offered his friend a weary smile. "I'm going to go find Riku. Have a goodnight, Tidus."

"Night, Sora," the blond answered slowly, eyes still glued to the opposing wall.

Sora grumbled something under his breath and departed quickly, hugging his arms tightly to his chest. The scenes that occurred in Mango continued to replay in his mind: Tidus' anxiety regarding Naminé, Axel's flirtatious gestures, and Riku's irritation. Sora shook his head and hurried back to his dorm. He completely forgot about walking back with Tidus. All he cared about right now was how upset Riku had looked when he stormed off. Regardless, he continued fast-walking, having to jostle his way through a few people on the way back.

When Sora finally arrived back at his dorm, he unlocked the door and flung it open, sweat pouring from the base of his neck. He struggled to breathe as he stumbled in, closing the door. Blue eyes desperately scanned the empty dorm room. A frown appeared on the youth's face as his shoulders fell down into a defeated stance. Riku hadn't returned…he probably went off somewhere to kick the crap out of _something_.

"Damn Axel," the brunet murmured under his breath as he kicked off his shoes and trudged over to his bed. He promptly sat down and cradled his head in his hands.

As Sora sat there, he realized a few things. He did like Axel—the man was witty, smart, and attractive. However, the brunet was starting to realize the inevitable. He was crushing on his best friend at the same time, his very _straight_ and gorgeous best friend who just suffered a horrible breakup. Sora gulped some, remaining on his bed for a long while. The brunet laughed agitatedly under his breath, shaking his head in dismay. Of all the people to like, he just _had_ to like his best damn friend as _well_ as his best friend's _other_ best friend. What a peachy keen situation!

"I'm such a moron!" Sora decided and promptly began to smack his forehead with his palm.

"Sora?..."

The brunet froze and ceased his frantic motions. He gulped and lifted his gaze, meeting aquamarine at once. Shit, when did Riku get here? It took Sora a moment to realize the cliché situation he had just entered. There was Riku, the cause of his confusion, standing in front of him, scantily clad with a _towel_ wrapped around his waist. Sora's throat went dry and he felt his body cover in Goosebumps. Now _that_ would be quite the scenario to write in a fanfiction, Sora thought weakly.

"When did you get back?" Riku questioned, his hands rising to twist his silver hair in his hands and squeeze the excess water out.

"A few minutes ago," Sora whispered numbly, his voice defeated and weak.

"Oh," Riku answered and nodded some. "You okay? You look sick…"

Sora nodded slowly before his mind caught up with his hormones. "I'm sorry if Axel and I made you pissed at Mango!" he squeaked suddenly.

Riku blinked some. "Oh, it's fine," the silveret stated with a shrug. "I threw him off you because he was going a bit too far." A pause. "And it looked like he was making you really uncomfortable."

Sora nodded once more. "Thanks," he whispered, averting his gaze. He really didn't need to stare at Riku's beautiful chest. _I hate crushes, I hate them so much. They come out of nowhere and are about the most random people. Stupid crushes. Stupid things!!_

"The bathroom's all yours," Riku noted and stepped aside. He meandered over to his bureau and removed a pair of boxers, pants, and a shirt.

"I…think I'm going to call in sick," he murmured, fingers flexing restlessly by his sides. It hadn't spent much time with his best friend lately so…perhaps tonight would be a good idea? Besides, from the way Axel was acting earlier, did that mean he would try a _lot more_ on an actual date? Oh dear, he felt faint.

"Why?" Riku questioned, glancing over his shoulder. His hands rested on his hips, holding his towel limply around his body.

"Feel really funny," the brunet admitted. _Dizzy…light-headed…confused, and nervous…_

"Oh," Riku answered and sighed. "Axel's going to be disappointed, you know. He seemed really excited about the date," the silveret explained. His fingers toyed with the boxers on his bureau, as if debating whether or not to put them on.

_Crush, crush, stupid stupid crush…_ "I'll apologize tomorrow," Sora stated, his eyes glued to Riku's back. He bit his bottom lip. "Besides, I think he likes that blonde cashier at Mango. He's always staring at him with dreamy eyes."

Riku chuckled some and turned around, leaning back against the dresser. "I know that look. He's liked that guy for around a year now. They don't talk much but in Axel's world, they talk all the time." The silveret sighed some and ran his hand absently through his hair. "Do you like him, Sora?"

Sora fell silent. Now the question was out there. "…he's nice," the brunet admitted. "And attractive but I just…can't see myself _with_ him, you know? He seems more like a really good friend that you'd hang out with and joke around with, not date."

Riku nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"And maybe I was just really gung-ho about being with him because he's been the first person in my entire life to tell me he was gay without being forced to guess," the brunet murmured. "I kind of liked his assertiveness. It felt good, for once."

"Well, if you don't want to _date_ him, then there's no sense in going out on a _date _with him," Riku answered logically, smirking over at his younger friend. "Just explain that to him. I'm sure he'll understand."

Sora nodded. "I feel like a jerk."

"Why?" Riku walked over and sat down beside his best friend. Sea green eyes scanned Sora's distraught expression for a long moment. "Sora, you're not a jerk. Why do you think that?"

"I lead him on," the brunet muttered and leaned his head back against the wall. "I made him think that we could be together and do all that couple stuff and just…maybe I'm just still really emotional over what Kairi did to me. Maybe I was just looking for something quick and short to keep my mind off Kairi."

Riku frowned. "Sora," he began.

"Maybe I was just missing the affection," the brunet concluded. He winced some at his confession. He wouldn't deny that he _did_ like Axel, but he decided it was just the other's personality he liked. In any other case that would have been a wonderful thing, but not now. Sora didn't like Axel as a person, he just liked the attention and affection.

"Breakups suck," Riku decided. The silveret sighed.

Before Sora had time to agree with Riku had said, an arm wrapped around his waist. The brunet froze and sat there torpidly. Riku dragged Sora in for a brief hug, his arm protectively wrapped around his best friend's waist. "She didn't deserve you," the silveret whispered softly into Sora's ear as his free hand stroked the brown hair. "She's worthless if she ruined everything you had for another guy."

Sora felt his entire body heat without warning. He said nothing and allowed himself to just sit there. Riku was holding him…half naked…trying to cheer him up. A presence grew in his throat and in his pants and he had no idea as to why. Crushes weren't supposed to be this damn confusing and just _compromising_.

"You going to be okay?" Riku questioned after a few moments had passed. His pale fingers dropped from Sora's hair and rested on the brunet's side. His arm remained around Sora.

"Think so," Sora answered and sucked in a shaky breath.

"Go on that date," Riku decided, pulling away at last. He smiled rarely at Sora. "It'll get your mind off Kairi. If Axel suggests anything more, just tell him you're not ready for commitment again. He should understand."

"Thank you," Sora stated and watched Riku with soft eyes. Was it a bad thing that he sort of kind of wanted to go on a date with him? He gulped and willed the thought away. It was just a crush, it would go away.

"Now, get ready before you're late." Riku promptly flicked Sora's nose and got off the bed. He returned to his clothes and gestured for Sora to go to the bathroom to get changed.

"Sure thing," Sora chuckled and grabbed his clothes and sauntered into the bathroom. Once inside, he closed the door and leaned against it. What was he going to do? He liked Axel, sort of, but he liked Riku as well…and it was just so confusing. He swallowed and closed his eyes. The answer was obvious. Riku was straight and Axel was gay. His choice was obvious…despite the fact that he didn't want it to be that way.

xxxxx

"You look upset," Axel remarked as the pair left movies and headed back to the dorms. Axel's hand was absently curled around Sora's, leading the brunet to the movies. "Is something bothering you, Sora? You've been quiet all night. It isn't about lunch, right? Because I was totally joking about that and I wasn't suggesting—"

"Relax," Sora breathed and absently squeezed Axel's hand. It felt so weird in his. "I'm not upset. I just haven't felt that good lately. I'm sorry."

"Oh," Axel breathed and laughed. "Oh man, I was worried that you hated me for a second. Geez, kid. Don't scare me like that."

"Yeah…" Sora trailed off. "Did you enjoy the movie?" the brunet questioned, looking to his friend with a weak smile. The movie _had_ been good, and dinner was great, and Axel had behaved and only held his hand. Maybe the brunet had judged him too quickly? He sighed some mentally.

"It was pretty kick-ass," the redhead decided nonchalantly as he lead Sora down the street towards campus. "I'd see it again if I could."

Sora laughed some to himself. "Yeah, it was pretty awesome," he agreed and looked up at the dark night sky. "Thanks for tonight, Axel."

"No problem," Axel hummed. He paused near the paths that lead to the dorms. Axel lived in another dorm building so this path would be their departing point. The redhead turned to Sora and swung their hands by their sides. "Tonight was pretty damn great," he began.

Sora nodded. "Mhm, it was."

Axel nodded and appeared to be mentally debating something. After a moment of silence, save the crickets chirping, the redhead tugged Sora closer. His free arm hooked around Sora's skinny waist as he held the lithe boy against his chest. Sora squeaked uncertainly and stared up in the dark at his friend. Wait, what was Axel doing? He gulped and watched as the redhead smirked down at him.

"Any objections to a kiss, cutie?"

Sora just blinked and shook his head. Almost instantly, his lips were covered with Axel's. His eyes slid shut and he stood there. He waited for his body to heat, for his mind to reel, but it didn't. It just felt really nice, like wet sliding against wet and yet…there were no words to describe it. It felt odd, but Sora oddly _liked_ it. The brunet smiled some and leaned up on his tiptoes. He adored the affection. He shyly returned the kiss, moving his lips a fraction against the older's. His heart beat erratically due to the moment and he felt his legs wobble some.

Axel gingerly sucked on Sora's bottom lip. His hands ran absently along the small of Sora's back before racing up Sora's sides and then back down again. As he held the brunet close, his fingers drifted under the hem of Sora's shirt and onto the warm, untainted skin.

Alarm flashed in Sora and he broke the kiss, his breathing uneasy. "A-axel?" he asked stupidly, staring up at the other.

Axel's hands remained on Sora's bare sides, under the shirt. "Yes, cutie?"

"Uhm…" He said nothing more and just stared at the other. His stomach churned and he couldn't deny the heat pooling in his stomach.

"I'll let you head back in a minute," the redhead chuckled before capturing Sora into another kiss. Sora squeaked in surprise, again, and felt his body melt back against the older's. He wasn't entirely sure what was happening but decided to just go along with it. His mouth opened the slightest. Axel's greedy tongue slipped inside and memorized every curve and crevice of the youth's mouth. Their tongues rubbed absentmindedly against one another's, causing Sora to emit a strangled moan. Oh good lord…

"Wanna…come back to my dorm?" Axel moaned huskily against the kiss as his hands traveled farther up Sora's shirt.

_No, don't do that, Sora. This is a first date and you_, he thought weakly but then made a soft, pleasured noise as he felt hands massage his back and hold his body flush to Axel's. The hormones were taking control of him. Kairi had never directed their kissing. Not once.

"Wanna?" Axel repeated. He broke the kiss and began kissing Sora's neck hotly, his lips craftily smirking against the heating skin. "I'll make it worth your while, Sora," he breathed reassuringly, his hand gently rubbing Sora's back.

"I can't," Sora finally whispered, arching his neck back. _I can't do this…_

"Oh," Axel answered and removed his lips from Sora's neck. He took a step back and uneasily rubbed the back of his neck, laughing uncertainly. "Well then uh, sorry about that. Goodnight, Sora." And now Axel just looked _entirely_ embarrassed.

"Goodnight," Sora whispered and forced a smile. He offered a small wave before charging down the right path, headed back to his dorm.

His mind raced and his stomach knotted and he felt weak. He was, to be honest, aroused and confused. Didn't he admit a few hours ago that he just liked Axel for the attention and affection? Mystification continued to plunder Sora's mind as he ran back to the comfort of his bed. And then there was that hug with Riku, earlier. It had only been a damn _hug_ and he felt almost as turned on as when Axel had kissed him. Sora gulped and pushed the thoughts aside. But after a moment, as he entered the dorm building and headed up to his room, a thought occurred to him.

If Riku just _hugging_ and petting his hair turned him on, just how wonderful would it feel if Riku were to kiss him and… Sora's head began to spin as he leaned against the nearest wall, holding his head. No longer was he thinking about Axel's kiss. All he could think about was his _best friend_ kissing him and pushing him against a bed and…

"I'm screwed," he whispered weakly.

This wasn't just a crush—he _wanted_ his best friend.


End file.
